Releasing the Phoenix

By Anna-Morgause

Disclaimer: I don't own Albus Dumbledore or any part of the Harry Potter series

Sheridan hated leaving like this, in the dead of night, but she knew if she told Albus, he'd just convince her to stay. He was good at that, convincing people of things, even himself. She loved Albus, she would probably always love Albus, but she couldn't stay if she didn't have all of his heart. She was selfish like that.

She left her note on his bedside table, and crept out of the room, taking one last look at him. He looked so peaceful. He always looked peaceful, she admitted, but there was something troubling, something tormenting him, hidden behind those blue eyes she had once been drawn to.

"Goodbye," she said, so quietly that even he could not have heard her and left. She knew that he wouldn't come after her. Knowing that almost hurt her as much as leaving did.

Albus waited a moment after she had closed the door before sitting up in bed. Sheridan had never been good at telling when he was simply pretending. He didn't need to read the letter to know what it said, but he did anyway. A portion of him was deeply saddened to see Sheridan leave, but an even greater portion felt relieved. He would always feel guilty for that.

A/N: This is set some time in Dumbledore's youth, probably his early twenties.

PS: I know Dumbledore is gay, but I figure even someone as abnormal as him would have made some attempt at normalcy, and Sheridan was his way of suppressing his feelings for Grindelwald, which I doubt he would've been entirely comfortable with, given the general feeling towards homosexuals of the era.