Children's laughter embraced him, the scene before him returning as if he were living it
once more. He was watching himself walk down the dirt streets of the Wizarding
commune Haden, south of Little Hangelton, his eyes trained on the ground. Most houses
were lit up, beacons in the coming darkness, their children safe inside but occasionally he
would look up and a girl no older then five, or a boy of ten, would be there staring at him
as they played with their toy broom or moving doll. All of the children were safe, playing
behind the many fences of Haden, and sometimes he wondered if Haden itself weren't
guarded by a massive wall.
A dog barked somewhere in the distance, followed by a mother calling her child's name.
He walked a bit quicker, tugging at his dress robes. A trail of dust followed him, and even
he thought he looked as if he weren't walking on the ground at all, but instead hovering
above it. Rounding a bend, he stopped automatically, his head rising to look up at a pale
green house that appeared to glow more then the retreating sun. Like all houses in this
area, a white picket fence surrounded it, protecting it from evil.
Straightening his dress robes he stood a bit more erect and approached the gate,
unsurprised when it glowed a pale blue before swinging open. His clear eyes scanned the
front of the house, lingering on the second floor window where a young girl had just been
looking out. With his head tilted upward, he stood perfectly still.
The front door opened suddenly, but a few moments later, letting out a loud creek and
startling him into movement. He grinned, a girl with dark hair looking back at him from
the entrance way. Dressed in a stunning shade of dark blue, she stepped from the house,
the door shutting behind her.
"You're late, Albus." she stated matter-of-factly.
Albus' grin widened, "Only by forty-seven seconds, and I've been standing here for at
least twenty-three, so."
She smiled, another light turning on in the house behind her, catching her eyes so that
they shined a brilliant blue, "I noticed."
His eyes moved to the window beside the door, a stern, dark eyed person glaring out at
him. The girl caught his train of sight and turned, giving an exasperated sigh as she
reached up to bang on the glass.
Her eyes wide, she yelled incredulously, "Mum!"
The woman looked at her, raising her chin, and turning, but only after giving Albus
another strict glare, as if to say, 'If she comes back with one hickey, so help me Merlin..'
He laughed, stepping forward some and offering his hand to the girl, "Shall we?"
She smiled, her dark hair falling in front of her eyes, "Of course," she placed her hand in
his, stepping from the stoop, and giving him an approving stare, "You look nice tonight."
"And you look stunning, Beth." he said in a whisper, linking his arm in hers. "Now come,
I have something I want to show you."
Beth smiled again, pushing her hair over her shoulder with her opposite hand and began
walking with him, studying him from aside, "Where are we going?"
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a slight breeze coming and ruffling their
hair, "You'll see."
From afar he studied her, though her face was long burned into his memory- her subtle
facial shape, pale skin, pronounce lips and button nose. Briefly, he wondered if she had
changed.
They stepped from the protection of her gate and stopped, turning to face on another as
Albus unlinked his arm with hers. He reached into his robes pocket to pull out a single,
purplish stone, laying it flat on his palm.
"A portkey?" Beth questioned, looking from the stone in his hand to his face. "Can't we
just walk?"
"Not where I want to take you," he whispered. "Now come, it will only last a few minutes
longer.."
Beth furrowed her brow, looking at him questionably before reaching up and placing a
finger on the stone, closing her eyes.
The younger Albus felt a tug on his navel as the scene around him changed from a quiet
town, to a beach near the ocean. They appeared in a grassy area of the beach, underneath
a willow that grabbed at their clothing with its leafs. Lights of all colors adorned the sky
in the distance, their reflections even brighter on the water.
"Albus, it's beautiful!" Beth said with a small gasp and a smile, brushing a few strands of
hair from her face.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, "How did you do this?"
"I didn't. Nature did," he whispered, stepping closer to her, "Do you like it?"
She turned her back to him, studying the lights that adorned the air with a critic's eye
before whispering, "I love it."
A smile flickered across Albus' face, the front of his robes brushing against her back as he
wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned against his chest, and in return, he rested
his chin against her hair. The lights flickered, the glow catching on his glasses, and he felt
her body relax in his embrace. Inhaling the scent of her shampoo, he pressed a kiss to the
top of her head.
Suddenly, against his will the scene shifted, the colors and shapes blurring together.
He was standing near a resturant now, watching himself in front of a fountain, Beth
sitting on the hard-stone, staring up at the younger him with hazy eyes. He noticed how
the water spouted out from the angel perched on the top of the fountain, falling to the
mote surrounding it, a soft spray hitting Beth's v-neck silver dress and causing the fabric
to glimmer. A cloud passed over the moon, obscuring the scene.
"We need to talk, Albus," she said, her tone barely audible.
The restaurant the younger man was taking her to was but a few meters away, and the
scent of dinner cooking was carried in the breeze.
He nodded, smiling, a few strands light hair falling into his eyes, "I was just going to say
the same thing."
They spoke in unison.
"Albus-"
"Beth-"
Beth swallowed, licking her lips, "You first."
He nodded again, perching himself on the edge of the cement beside her. He turned his
body towards her, and gently took her hand in his. Smiling, his eyes meant hers, "These
last few months have been heaven. I've fancied you for a long time, and each day I spend
with you, I think I fall a little harder."
He paused, taking a deep breath, "I think I'm falling in lov-"
"It's over," interrupted Beth, her eyes turning to the water. She pulled her hand sharply
from Albus' own, "I'm sorry, Albus. It's been great fun.. but.."
Albus furrowed his brow, opening his mouth but having no sound come out.
Her voice was soft, as if she was the one hurting, and her words slurred together as she
tried to speak them all at once, "I don't love you. I'm sorry, I should have told you
sooner- that my mind wasn't really in this relationship, but I was just so angry at Micah-
my old boyfriend, that.. I guess I thought you could make it all better, and I think I fooled
myself into believing you did.. And I.." She paused, licking her lips again and refusing to
meet his gaze.
Her words slowing, she said, "I'm sorry. I just.. I still love him. I still love him, Albus.."
Beth didn't look at him as she stood, her gown ruffling around her. She turned sharply,
her hair catching the moon's light as it had the night he first saw her, and hurried in the
direction of home. Albus watched with sad eyes as he bowed his head, staring at his
hands, another cloud passing over the moon.
In both of his minds, her last words repeated, "I still love him, Albus.."
The scene around him began to shift again.
It shifted from the shade of night to a blur of colors until he could just make out the objects of his office, the most pronounce being the one in front of him. The cauldron-like object was obscured by shadows, the light from the window catching its corner. Albus sighed, staring at it for a short while, sitting perfectly still in front of the open cabinet doors until the sun had long passed the hills and everything was a brilliant crimson. It was then that he stood and turned, the dying sun catching on his glasses as he walked away- away from the Pensive and the memories that haunted it.