AN: Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.

a toast with you, old friend

AlwaysPadfoot

Albus swept up the garden path as soon as he Apparated outside Elphias Doge's house. Any hesitation would lead to him never knocking on the front door, and right now, Albus needed to talk to his oldest and dearest friend.

As he stopped on the doormat, Albus raised his hand and knocked on the freshly painted blue wood of Elphias' door. He didn't have to wait long, his foot uncontrollably tapping against the step, before Elphias opened it wide. Light and warmth washed over Albus, giving him a sense of security like he hadn't expected.

A smile stretched across Elphias' face and he held his arms out wide. "Albus."

Before Albus could say a word in response, Elphias embraced him in a tight hug, which Albus somewhat begrudgingly reciprocated. It was nice to still be appreciated, even after the day he'd had today. Elphias welcomed him into the house, closing the door behind them and guiding him into the living room with an arm around his shoulders.

"What brings you here?" Elphias asked as he turned to pour out two large glasses of red wine. "It's not often you grace me with your presence during term time."

Albus exhaled slightly as he stood in the centre of the living room. Elphias decorated extravagantly; his sofas were adorned with superfluous throws and somewhat bizarre Muggle paintings hung on the walls. Albus couldn't say he was well-versed in art; he had never been particularly interested in it. He much prefered music.

Elphias turned, the glasses in his hand, and as his eyes fell on Albus, his gaze softened.

"Something happened," he said suddenly, "didn't it?"

Albus sighed. "Yes."

"Please, sit, sit," Elphias said, gesturing with an outstretched wine glass to the sofa Albus was standing beside. "Tell me: what happened?"

Albus sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, pulling a deep crimson pillow towards him simply so he had something to focus his attention on whilst he spoke. "I failed a student today."

Elphias frowned as he placed Albus' glass of wine on the claw-footed coffee table and sat back, stretching his arm across the back of the sofa. "You don't mean that you gave a student a Troll grade, do you?"

"No." Albus shook his head solemnly as Elphias crossed one leg over the other. "Newt Scamander was expelled today."

"The fifth year Hufflepuff you're so fond of?"

"Yes."

"Why was he expelled?" Elphias asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"There was an incident," Albus responded, his voice slightly hoarse. "He conducted an experiment with a Jarvey that endangered the life of another student and damaged a large section of the East Wing."

Elphias' expression morphed into one of horror. "Albus, it's illegal to possess such a creature, let alone—"

"—except it wasn't Mr. Scamander." Albus held his hand up as he interrupted his friend. "He took the fall for another student."

Heaving a sigh, Elphias dropped his head back and muttered to himself, "Bloody Hufflepuffs."

Albus wanted to smile — he really did — but all he could think about was standing in Armando's office and watching Newt's face fall when he was told of his expulsion. Albus had felt his heart plummet at the look on that fifteen-year-old's face, and he couldn't bear it. As if sensing his despair, Elphias reached over and put a hand on Albus' shoulder, scooching across the sofa to better comfort his friend.

"Albus, it's not your fault—"

"—I could have fought harder," Albus interrupted. "I sat in that office before Headmaster Dippet called him in and I asked him to reconsider. I asked him to give Mr. Scamander a chance — I should have begged him."

"Albus, we both know that Armando Dippet is a stubborn man," Elphias said. "He never would have changed his mind once it was made up."

The Transfiguration Professor turned away from his friend, dabbing his eyes with a green-spotted handkerchief. When it came to his students, his emotions ran close to the surface. It was his downfall, and it would always stay the same. Elphias wrapped an arm around Albus' shoulders and pulled him close.

"It will be okay, Albus," he told him. "You did what you could; you tried your best."

"The only thing I got him was that he was allowed to retain possession of his wand," Albus said, even though in his opinion, it was not enough. "He was a promising student with a passion for magical creatures. He will never get his O.W.L.s; he will never get his N.E.W.T.s. His life will be hard, so no, Elphias, I did not try my best."

Elphias put his finger under Albus' chin and turned his tear-streaked face back to him. "You did, and I'm about to help you get that young man's life back on track."

Albus frowned, shaking his head in disbelief. There was nothing that he could do — how could Elphias possibly have a way to help?

His old school friend beamed and finished off his wine in one large gulp. Giving Albus' shoulders another squeeze, Elphias stood up and crossed the room to an ornate desk. He waved his hand over the top drawer, casting an Alohomora Charm, and then pulled it open. He took a navy leather address book from it, shut the drawer with his hip, and then returned to the sofa to sit beside Albus once again.

"Let's see," Elphias said, straightening his cravat and paging through the book. "Arjun Kapoor breeds Occamys; he wrote to me recently. He has eggs hatching in two months. Then there's Michael — Michael is a dear, dear friend — he runs a specialist sanctuary for Erumpents to prevent them from becoming extinct. I also have Markus, who breeds Hippogriffs. I believe you once mentioned that young Mr. Scamander's mother breeds them. He would have experience, and Markus would love to have him — expelled or not. I probably have eight more people in here in the business of magical creatures; all I have to do is write to them and they will take on the young boy in a heartbeat."

Albus felt himself fill with emotion. The fact that Elphias would go to the effort of using up his contacts to help him, to help Newt, made Albus realise how much his friend cared for him.

"I don't know what to say," he said.

"You don't have to say anything," Elphias responded. "I would do anything to help you, Albus. If you say the boy deserves better, the boy deserves better."

Albus nodded in disbelief as Elphias went to fill up his wine glass. "Thank you, Elphias."

They both raised their glasses in unison and Albus smiled, his heart filling with gratitude. The professor inhaled deeply and with admiration in his eyes, he said, "To Newt Scamander."

"To Newt Scamander."

Comp/Challenge & Prompts:

Serpent Challenge: 47. Blood python- (object) wine glass

Insane House Challenge: 301. Spell — Alohomora

365 Prompts Challenge: 116. Era — Dumbledore

Fanfiction Resolutions Challenge: 13. Write a fic set in Dumbledore Era

Writing Club [Character Appreciation]: 13. Loyal (trait)

Writing Club [Showtime]: 5. Something Bad - (character) Newt Scamander

Word Count: 1153 — not inc. notes, titles, or ANs.