WE USED TO BE DARKER
In honor of the 20th anniversary of some books I held dear.
Prologue
It was bright and wavy. High vapor content in the air. Microscopic particles of moisture catching the light so everything shimmered dully, clouding and distorting the environment before him. The substance reminded him very much of the steam that billowed out of a cauldron of Pepper-Up Potion...but the substance surrounding him did not have the density of steam. Curious.
Where was he?
Looking down, he observed his feet, rested on a spongy horizontal substrate, colorless and uniformly extending monotonously in all directions. His feet seemed very far away.
Moving his awareness outward, he registered vertical columns springing up from the spongy plane at semi-regular intervals all around, interrupting the wavy bright light and obscuring his view in places. (His view of what…? What had he come here for? Surely he must be here for a purpose.) At their tops the thick brown columns shredded into a green fuzz that swished back and forth in unison, as if pushed by a huge invisible hand. Yes, this was a familiar sight. But what was the word for it? His mind felt as foggy as the steam clouding his vision. And then in the back of his head he felt the faint swelling of a thought from deep within that fog. Reaching back with his consciousness he groped around clumsily, sure this was important but unsure what exactly he was looking for. He seized it! Suddenly the word slid into his mind and out thtough his mouth onto his lips. "Forest" he murmured. He was in a forest.
A flash of something even brighter - so bright it hurt to look at it - hurtled through the trees overhead and complying with his instinct he followed it, weaving through the trees easily due to the lack of foliage or underbrush. After some time the trees thinned and he came across a low stone wall next to some railroad tracks where a wizened old man sat swinging his legs and eating hard candies from a paper bag.
"Right on schedule, Severus" the old man called, applauding. The sound from the hands reverberated around the clearing. Severus noticed that it bounced off the trees and echoed a few times before silence fell again. He glanced back to the person who had clapped and they stood silently for a few moments. And he realized the old man was talking to him.
"...Dumbledore," he spoke hesitantly.
"Fantastic," the old man replied, "it seems you are regaining your mental faculties, and have at least progressed enough to absorb the content of this conversation. This type of… travel… can be rather disorientating, you see. Trust me - I know how difficult it is for you my boy - but try. I speak from experience. And listen! Consequently we haven't much time so please stay alert."
Severus said nothing, just stared back.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Taciturn as always of course! I must admit I adore that you never changed. But things here certainly will, and soon. You see, neither of us is actually supposed to be here. And I myself have severely overstayed my welcome. As you may be starting to remember, back in another world - the world of the Living - I was a wizard who wielded great power. I quite enjoyed it, although I liked to pretend and tell others that this was not the case. But like all living beings, eventually I was killed. At that moment, like anyone else, the life force immediately left my body, whisked away toward the world Beyond. And the world Beyond is where I would be I would be had I not taken special measures to tether myself here.
"How does one accomplish this, you might ask? As I said, I was a wizard of formidable power and skill." Dumbledore began speaking rather quickly, almost as if he were in a debate competition, trying to squeeze in as many points as possible within an approaching time limit. Severus wondered if that time limit applied to him too. "In the brief moments between knowing I would die and the casting of the curse that did the job, I cast a powerful charm (of my own design). It is very complex, but essentially it packaged up all of my magical essence and suspended it in this place, the Transition Zone, and as long as I maintain strict concentration I can continue to stay here, postponing my passage into the world Beyond. And I did it all to wait for you. Because I have a message that you must hear."
"A….message?" Severus responded groggily.
"Correct," Dumbledore responded, and pressed on. "First and foremost, the train. At this platform in a few moments, there will be a train. When it arrives, I need you to board it."
"Do not hesitate. It will take you back. This is not a choice. You have shouldered many burdens my dear man, yet there is still one more that I need you to bear. I cannot say this is fair, but trust me that this is an important role that truly only you can enact. And finally, you must take this."
Dumbledore handed Severus a thin, sturdily-bound book. "It will help." The older man smiled thinly. Innumerable tense wrinkles crowded around the outskirts of his warm expression and Severus felt the ghost of some deep emotion welling up briefly inside of him. But the moment was rapidly flittering by.
Dumbledore now spoke with a finality. "Stand strong, trust your instincts. You are in Fate's capable hand. Try not to be so bitter. You might think of this peculiar turn of events as a second chance at a thing or two, if you chose to take it. Or perhaps you may not."
Dumbledore's form had begun to flicker and his figure sagged against the brick wall, looking frail. "Until we meet again Severus".
The old man placed a flickering hand on his shoulder, and looked into Severus's eyes with a piercing blue gaze as he slowly faded away.
A few minutes later, a train arrived as promised. Automatically, Severus stepped aboard.