Green flames surrounded him as he felt himself being squeezed through a tube, being thrown this way and that. And before he knew it, it was over and he was standing outside one of the three grand fireplaces that people could use to floo into Green Manor. Though the fireplaces took up a large amount of space, the size of the room they inhabited was so vast in comparison that the fireplaces appeared to be tucked into the south-east corner. A grand double sided staircase rose from the marble floor and met at the second floor, establishing a balcony that overlooked the massive foyer. From where he stood, the man could see that the balcony extended into a hallway past the overlook. Up there, doors ran along the north wall. At the base floor in the center of each cardinal wall were massive doors, including the wall underneath the balcony. The dark walnut doors were closed shut and the man doubted he would be able to open them with his strength alone.
The manor felt cold and deserted. Not a sound could be heard.
On the ground surrounding the fireplaces were two lines that boxed in the corner. Any average wizard wouldn't notice it, but rising from the lines drawn on the ground was an invisible magic barrier, caging in where people could enter from the floo. It prevented anyone unwanted and uninvited from entering the manor, it was one of the best defenses against having a floo connection directly to the house that the man had ever seen.
He had already been granted permission to enter the manor. Mr. Green had written to him several weeks ago asking for an audience. So the man confidently stepped through the barrier, it felt like popping a bubble. The scene before him changed as he entered the real manor. The previously closed walnut doors were now wide open and welcoming, showing off dining halls and ballrooms. The sound of classical music leaked from one of the doors, but the man wasn't sure which one. Light was now shining through windows around the foyer, including from a skylight above. The south door remained closed, but the man assumed it was the main entrance to the manor.
"Albus Dumbledore!" A voice called out. Albus turned and saw Mr. Green entering the foyer through the east door. "What a pleasure, thank you so much for coming." The man shook his hand, smiling from ear to ear. It was the charming smile of a business man, but Albus knew it was genuine.
"Kent Green, I'm glad to see you're doing well." Albus shook the man's hand and put his other hand on his shoulder. "And from what I've heard, your son is also doing well." He looked at Kent over his half-moon glasses, eyes twinkling as the man beamed wider.
"Yes! And I do hope that you'll agree with me that it's best for him to get a head start at Hogwarts. Come," Kent began to walk towards the east door, "Winter is waiting for you."
The two walked through the door into a large sitting room. This wing of the manor felt more homey, Albus figured this was where the family spent most of their casual time. Winter was there sitting on a soft couch. She had today's edition of the Daily Prophet in her hands and was well immersed. He noticed that on the coffee table in front of her there were several other magazines, including the Pureblood Post.
She put her newspaper down and smiled at her husband and the headmaster, watching them approach, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I'm so glad you could make it."
The headmaster greeted her warmly, "Winter, my dear. You graduated from Hogwarts 18 years ago. No need for such formalities." Albus sat down on a couch near Winter while Kent sat next to her. "Now for what do I owe this pleasure?"
Winter turned and smiled at her husband before looking back at Albus, "Well you remember our son, Edgewood?" Albus nodded, he had never met the child but he had heard of him before. Nothing remarkable was ever mentioned about the child, just that he was the son of Kent and Winter Green and the only one who would continue the Green legacy.
"After some careful consideration, we think it may be best for Edgewood to start at Hogwarts a year early." Kent spoke. "I know you normally feel that 10 is too young for Hogwarts, but we truly believe that Edgewood is ready for this"
Albus regarded the two eager parents. "Why do you feel that he cannot wait another year?"
"His tutor says that Edgewood is the most intelligent child he's ever worked with and that they have already finished all the material that a young wizard must know before attending school two months ago." Kent explained.
Albus eyed the Pureblood Post on the coffee table again. "And this is not at all related to the 8 pureblood children who will be starting at Hogwarts in the fall?" It wasn't uncommon for purebloods to want their children in the same year at Hogwarts, that way they would establish connections and friendships that would benefit them for life early on. It was a power move.
However, Kent and Winter shook their heads furiously. "No of course not, you know we don't care about that, Albus!" Winter noticed the magazine on the table and sighed, "they send this to us, you know. All purebloods get this whether they want it or not."
Albus sat back and folded his arms on his lap, "I don't expect this to be an easy Slytherin class." Most of the pureblood children who were starting their first year in the fall were children of previous death eaters. While Kent and Winter were never death eaters, they were both Slytherins. The Green family had been reliably producing Slytherins for as long as the records had been kept.
To his shock, both the parents shook their heads again. "We don't believe that he will be sorted into Slytherin, Albus." Kent spoke. "I think he will go to Ravenclaw-"
"And I think he's more of a Hufflepuff." Winter interrupted her husband.
Albus stroked his long beard and took all this in. Quite a strange situation, however they seemed genuine. "May I speak with the boy?"
Kent looked towards Winter and she spoke "The moment it gets warm enough, he spends all day outside making his little fairy houses." When Kent still looked unsure Winter stood up "I'll show you, Albus."
Albus followed Winter through a series of well decorated rooms until they made it to a door that led to the property behind the manor. North east of the manor were several greenhouses that connected to the home by a stony path. Other than that, the manor was surrounded sat on a large clearing before being flanked by thick woods in every direction.
Winter pointed to what looked like nothing in particular, all the trees looked the same. "He usually plays over there, right at the edge of the clearing and the forest. If you walk in that direction, you'll come by a stream, follow it and he should be there."
Albus smiled at her and began the journey. It took him about 5 minutes of walking in the general direction before he came across a stream. It was hard to find due to it being so narrow and the grass in the clearing seemed to grow wilder as the manor grew farther. He followed the stream hoping that he would find the boy soon. The late afternoon summer heat had no mercy for his long purple robes.
It was several more minutes before Albus reached the edge of the clearing and was facing the woods beyond it. It was curious how the edge was so well defined, he could look from side to side and see the edge expand in each direction, like someone drew a line where they wanted the woods to stop.
Right there, gathering mud from the stream, was Edgewood. Albus almost laughed to himself. Here he was, meeting a boy named Edgewood for the first time, at the edge of, well, a wood. He wondered if his parents found this site to be romantic and named their child after it, or if it was pure coincidence.
The trees at the edge of the clearing were thin and tall. The wild grass stopped at the start of the forest and was replaced by a soft moss of deep green. An occasional blade of grass or wild flower struck through the mossy forest carpet. Here there was also relief from the sun. Though the trees where thin and their canopies were not vast, their shear numbers created a protective blanket from the sun's heat, allowing only small sun spots and rays to escape through and light up the forest. The shallow stream ran into the forest, breaking through the trees and moss. It was shallow, no deeper than a child's ankles and littered with glittering pebbles along the bottom. As the stream trailed on through the forest, Albus could see several small 'shores' where the pebbles traveled up above the moss, onto dry ground.
Though the sound of classical music was long left behind in the manor, a different type of music was present here. Chirps and calls of different birds as they perched and flew around the forest. The irregular rustling of squirrels and chipmunks as they prodded through leaves and climbed on trees. And the organic rustling of the trees as gentle gusts of wind moved the hot air through the thin branches.
The boy glanced up from his mud as Albus approached, but he said nothing and made no attempt at a second glance. He grabbed a handful of pebbles from his pocket, arranged them in a circle, and began sticking small bits of mud between them, every time he finished a circle, he layered another set of pebbles above it.
Edgewood was squatting low as he did this, his calves against his thighs and feet flat on the ground, looking almost like he was hugging his thighs to his chest. He wasn't dressed in robes like his parents, rather he wore casual muggle clothes. Albus supposed this was because his parents expected them to get dirty, as they were now, covered in mud. No doubt the moment he tries stepping into the house later, a house else will appear and send him right for a bath. Mud would show up clearly on the marble floors of the manor.
As he worked, the gentle caramel curls fell into his gray eyes. They were both the same color as his mother's, however the curls mimicked his father at that age. The curls have since fallen out of Kent, leaving his hair dark and flat.
Albus took a seat on a nearby stump and watched Edgewood. He had seen Albus, but he felt no need to say anything. He found that quite interesting, most children who play alone would jump at the opportunity of a playmate, or at least someone who would give them attention. He wouldn't be surprised if the boy was deficient of attention from his parents, they were both extremely busy people. A brief meeting with Albus had to be scheduled weeks in advance.
Finally, the boy spoke up, not tearing his eyes away from his project of mud and pebbles, "Hello Albus Dumbledore," he spoke quietly.
Albus's eyes twinkled as he smiled, "You know my name. Did your parents tell you I was coming?"
"No," the boy said nothing more, giving no indication as to why, or how, he knew who Albus was.
"How do you know me then, my dear boy," Albus asked watching the child gently place another layer of pebbles, each layer was starting to get narrower, almost like a dome shape made of pebbles and mud.
"I've seen your face in the Prophet many times," he simply replied.
"You read the Daily Prophet?"
"Of course, every day."
Albus regarded the child. A ten year old who reads the Daily Prophet, curious. "Do your parents make you read it? Or your tutor?"
"I doubt they even know I read it. I read it after breakfast, while I wait for my tutor."
Albus paused for a few minutes, continuing to watch the child work. The creation was starting to look less like a dome and more like a cone. "Do you know that your parents hope to send you to Hogwarts early?"
"Yes."
Again, the boy said nothing more. "Do you know why?"
"My tutor told them that I should attend early."
"And how do you feel about that?"
Now it was the boy's turn to pause. For a moment, his hand lingered on the mud pile, but then as quick as ever, he continued to work. A moment later, he simply shrugged.
"You have no thoughts?"
Again, the boy paused for a moment, this time, however, he spoke. "Does it matter? Will my thoughts even be considered?" For the first time during their meeting, Edgewood stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Albus straight in the eyes.
Albus's eyes twinkled as their eyes connected. Not meaning to, more out of habit, he pushed a gentle surge of legilimency. He almost regretted it until he realized that nothing could be heard from the boy's mind. Nothing. It was certainly very strange. "Of course your opinion will be considered. This is why I wanted to speak with you."
Edgewood turned back and finished assembling the project. He picked it up and began walking towards the clearing. Albus stood and followed the boy. He was shorter than Albus had expected him to be. "If I leave, I won't finish my village." he placed the project on the ground in the sun and picked up one that had been there previously. This one was flatter and more sphere-like, the mud had already hardened in the heat. He turned and walked back into the forest, slightly deeper this time. After a few moments, they both came across what must be his 'village.'
Tiny houses made of mud and rock, twigs and leaves, grass and flowers were scattered around the trees. Some were low at the base of trees while others sat on branches or in holes made by woodpeckers. Edgewood placed the newest addition on a rock near a tree already adorned with fairy houses. "But if I stay, I'm just wasting a year of time that could be better spent." He continued as if the last time he had spoken was seconds ago, rather than minutes ago.
Albus was shocked by the elaborate project done by the 10 year old boy. For a moment, he wondered if there was any significance to this project, but he quickly dismissed it and decided it was simply something done by a young boy with an overactive mind and a need to find some way to keep busy. "Have you seen any fairies come by yet?" He prompted.
"No. I'll bring them when I'm ready." Albus stared at the strange boy. Perhaps he hoped to establish a fairy colony here. "I think I'd like to go to Hogwarts this fall." He turned and looked at Albus again.
"Won't you miss your parents?"
"Not terribly," the child didn't break eye contact, "I do love them sir, but I won't miss them terribly."
Albus considered the boy. He was slightly peculiar, but not the strangest he had seen in his years. The boy seemed ready, as far as Albus could tell. Perhaps his parents were right, this was what he needed. He smiled down at Edgewood, "Very well. I'll let your parents know."
He took a few steps towards the manor before looking back at the boy. Edgewood stood there smiling back at him for a moment before he began to collect materials for what would probably be another fairy house. He made no move to follow Albus back to the manor, so he continued on his own. After a ten-minute journey, he found himself back at the door that he had exited from.
The moment Ablus stepped inside, a house elf appeared. It took one look at Albus before sighing in relief, most likely happy that it wouldn't have to deal with a dirty child just yet. "Can you take me to Winter or Kent?" Albus asked the small creature. It nodded and beckoned for him to follow. Through various rooms they went before finding Kent in the same large sitting room. On the coffee table in front of him was now a tall stack of letters. He looked up at the headmaster from the letter he was holding. Albus smiled at him, eyes twinkling.
Hi! Thank you for reading, new chapters are posted every Wednesday!
It would be wonderful if you could leave a review, I'd love you know what you all think!
