A/N: This is my first story! Let's see how it goes. Hopefully this turns into a drabble collection of One Shot series or sorts. :) -Mug

Written for: 'DAILY WEIRD PROMPT THING [SPEED WRITING CHALLENGE] by Lamia of the Dark.

My Prompt: Dumbledore puts unicorn-shaped beads in his beard


"Professor! Are those unicorns in your beard?" Cried Fred and George Weasely, nearly doubled over with laughter.

"Why yes," replied an amused Dumbledore, smiling. "I find that it reminds me to look for the child in me, even in the darkest of situations."

As the twins, absolutely shaking with laughter now, walked away, no doubt planning to spread this news in the most amusing fashion ever, Dumbledore, smile fading now, began to reminisce. The reason why he wore unicorn shaped beads in his long beard.

Dumbledore thought back, to the single most important relationship in his life. His sister Ariana.

'ALBUSSS!' she shrieked, running around the backyard, white petticoat trailing behind her like a superheroes cape. Her long dirty blonde air streamed behind as she transformed into a bird, complete with sound effects and all. On any other day, he might have ignored her. He might have looked up, smiled without really smiling, and then returned to whatever book he was reading, or letter he was writing. On any other day, he might have been exasperated, annoyed, irritated. But not today. No, today was a good day.

He looked up at his sister, smile reaching his bright blue eyes, as it so rarely did these days. She missed that smile. He called out to her, beckoning his younger sister to come sit beside him. And as she sat there, cross legged, he told her stories of mountains far away, of dragons and sphinxes, of a Utopian land where everything was-to say the least-perfect. And as she sat there, engrossed, her freckled nose scrunched up in concentration as she struggled to follow, she would pick out beads from the box that sat next to them, a gift, from her brother's friend. And she would lace them, ever so gingerly, into her brothers long auburn beard. Her favourites were the ones shaped as unicorns. In pink and orange and yellow and purple, she would string them into her elder brother's beard, eyes concentrated so fiercely on one point that they looked nearly crossed, and her tiny pink tongue poking out from the side of her mouth. The more involved in this process she became, she would tune out from her brother's stories, and finally when her artwork was complete, she would look up to him, beaming, seeking approval. And that was the day that Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, Professor, soon to be Headmaster of Hogwarts, Future Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot etc etc began to wear unicorn shaped beads in his beard.