This is just a short one-shot that popped into my head. Enjoy! -SlytherinsScribe
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, the quotes, and unfortunately, anything you recognize from the books.
-
" What do you see when you look in the mirror?"
"I? I see myself wearing a pair of thick, woolen socks."
-Sorceror's Stone, page 214
-
Albus Dumbledore watched an eleven year old boy-who-lived throw on his invisibility cloak with a disbelieving look on his face. Well, in truth, it was difficult that Dumbledore's greatest desire was a pair of wool socks. Because, like all strange things, there was a story behind it. Although, Dumbledore thought it hardly fair to impart this story onto an eleven year old. It wasn't a happy story, but it's what he would see if he looked into the mirror of Erised.
It all started after his mother died and he met Gellert while caring for his younger siblings. It was a time he didn't particularly like thinking about, because of what had happened later on. Ariana was very care intensive, which left very little time for Dumbledore to be on his own, much less find time to spend with any friends who were still around, his best friend Elphias Doge having set out on his trip around the world on his own. Gellert, however, became somewhat of a savior.
It started simply by Gellert talking to him when he took walks around the small muggle village to escape from his responsibilities. Gellert had charisma, and could get anyone to follow any cause, which made him extremely powerful in the long run, but that's another story. Dumbledore had started talking to him, realizing more and more that they had very similar ideals, but Albus had to return home before they could get into a proper discussion.
Both Albus and Gellert found this increasingly annoying. It was the end of August in the year 1899, when Gellert found a solution. He began coming over to help Albus take care of his siblings, which usually meant (and Albus had always regretted this) the two of them talking together and Ariana having to be taken care of by Aberforth. Occasionally they had actually spent time with Ariana, who was absolutely fascinated with Gellert, because, in many ways, she was still a child.
Somehow, even when Aberforth had gone off to school, Ariana had remained taken care of, despite the amount of time spent solely on her was slowly diminishing. Aberforth was not pleased that Gellert had taken to staying over, doubting that it was really to help Albus care for Ariana. He didn't miss that Gellert didn't always sleep on the couch either.
Soon enough, Christmas had come, the two had been officially dating for four months. Aberforth was back and had taken to getting Bathilda Bagshot (Gellert's Great Aunt) to keep him home more often. In fact, for most of Aberforth's Christmas vacation, Gellert didn't so much as visit. Albus seemed to be a little sad about that, but concentrated on trying to bring together a Christmas, which brought his favorite, yet most tragic memory.
There was a knock on the door about eight o' clock in the evening on Christmas day, and Albus answered the door as his two siblings finished dinner. He was a little surprised to see Gellert standing there, and more surprised that he looked flustered. His usual calm and cheerful disposition seemed to have faded, and he even seemed a little nervous. He walked through the door looking unsettled, "Sorry I haven't been around, my aunt sent me to see some of her old friends for the last week."
"So you chose to come now?" Albus asked, wondering why he hadn't waited until morning when he still had his suitcase with him.
Gellert smiled and pulled out a small bag, "Well, I wanted to give you all your presents while it was still Christmas."
Albus was a little shocked, "But, Gellert, you know that we don't have anything for you-"
Gellert had put a finger over his mouth, effectively shutting him up, "Don't worry about it, I don't care much for presents, and even if I did, my friends from Durmstang gave me plenty, so don't worry your pretty little head over it."
Ariana giggled at how Gellert, only fifteen, was talking to seventeen year old Albus like he was five. Aberforth was actually seeming interested in the conversation, even though he usually left the room when Gellert pulled a stunt like that. Aberforth's head seemed to lift up, "Did you say you had presents for all of us?"
Gellert smiled, "Of course, you think I'd have the two of you go without?" He said and picked a couple packages out of his bag, handing a small cube shaped one to Ariana, and one in the familiar shape of a book to Aberforth.
Ariana's was a music box, it played a soft tune and had a red haired dancer in the center that spun in circles, looking curiously similar to the red haired Ariana. Albus cast a weary look at Gellert, "A friend of mine makes them as a trade, and was glad to make it for Ariana."
Aberforth was looking up from the large book he had received, as if not sure what to say, finally settling on, "How did you know?"
The book, having a particularly long name with scattered bits latin in it that Albus had forgotten over time, was about the possibilities of magical powers of goats. Gellert smiled, "It's hard to miss an obsession like that."
Aberforth looked at the book again, smiled, and said "thank you," to Gellert in the kindest tone he'd ever used with him. Then he disappeared into his book, as Ariana was mystified by her music box.
Albus looked over at Gellert to see him do something he'd never done before, bite his lip. Such nervous acts were foreign to Gellert, which had Albus alarmed. Gellert played with a loose stitch on the bag he had, "I'm going to apologize in advance for my gift. I mean, I knew what to give your siblings, but couldn't think of what to get you. Aberforth loves goats, Ariana loves music boxes, well, most of the time," His eyes flicked over to the dent in the wall that Ariana's last music had hit during her most recent episode, "But nothing I saw seemed like it was good enough to get you… so I got you this."
Albus took the lumpy gift handed to him by the strangely uncomfortable Gellert, and began opening it, wondering what could be so bad it had the ever charming boy so nervous. He soon got his answer as he held the present up.
Aberforth's eye's flicked up from his book, "You got him socks?"
Albus's eyes went wide as he saw Gellert blush, "Well, yeah… it just kind of happened."
Aberforth snickered, and Albus glared at him before assuring Gellert that he loved the socks, and when Gellert said that he was just humoring him Albus made a show of putting said wool socks on. This was his best memory: Ariana being happy, Aberforth being civil towards Gellert, and Gellert showing that he cared about all three of them. And that's what he saw in the mirror, him wearing the socks, Ariana with her music box, Aberforth smiling over his book, and Gellert blushing.
Hard to believe it was just a couple weeks later that Ariana was dead, Aberforth would stop talking to him, and Gellert would be gone.
-
"Albus?" Said man was shaken from his memories by a concerned Minerva McGonagall, "Are you alright?"
He was still standing in the room with the mirror, and had been for long after Harry was gone, but he smiled at Minerva, "I'm fine, just lost in some old memories. Would you tell the other teachers that we're moving the mirror to where it will be the final defense for the stone?"
Minerva was shocked, but had learned not to question him, "Of course Albus, good night."
Albus was already halfway out of the room when he bid her good night, and made his way to his chambers with a small smile on his face. He moved into his room and pulled a small trunk from under his bed, this being the first time it had been opened in years, it had a generous layer of dust on it. He blew off the dust and inserted a small key into it's keyhole, pulling it out when he heard a small click. Opening the drawer, he looked sadly upon the contents.
Forty-six pairs of wool socks.
One pair each Christmas from 1899 to 1945, when he defeated Gellert and he was sent to Numengard. Every pair was folded together with a small slip of paper with the year received on it. He dug through the wool socks, until he found the pair he was looking for, the paper said 1899, and they were the only pair ever worn. He smiled sadly as he held the socks, childishly like one might hold a teddy bear. Oh, how Aberforth would be angry if he knew Albus still had this pair of socks, even worse that he had all of them. He sighed, and put the socks back, locking the trunk and sitting on his bed.
"One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair," he repeated what he had told Harry earlier, "And so many that I have, I can't even wear."
-
(Thank you for reading, please review!)