I feel like this chapter kinda got away from me...I've been having some issues going on at home relating to school and where I want my life to go and all that.

But anyway, we last left off on Harry letting Voldemort kill him and learning of Bud's existence. What is his headmaster's side of the story? Let's see!


Chapter Three: How BUD Saved DUMBLEDORE

Harry had always wondered whether there was an afterlife. If his parents were there, were they upset at the treatment he received from the Dursleys? When he got to Hogwarts and discovered that ghosts did in fact exist, he started wondering if only certain people were allowed to come back as ghosts.

In all his musings about whether or not there was an afterlife, he never thought about what it might actually look like. King's Cross station wasn't exactly what jumped out at him first when imagining this but ultimately it didn't matter. All Harry wanted was some answers and Dumbledore was there to provide them.

They sat on a bench talking for an unknown amount of time. One of the revelations that surprised Harry the most was that his old headmaster had put off his famous duel with Grindelwald over the fear that Dumbledore himself might have killed his own sister during the three-way duel that kicked off Grindelwald's crimes against Muggles.

For a while (as far as Harry could tell, it was difficult to tell time here), they sat in silence until Dumbledore sighed. "But I did something else during my famous duel..."

"You met Bud?" Harry ventured and that made Dumbledore perk up a bit. "Oh, you were able to meet him? That's great, Harry."

"He said you saved his life."

Dumbledore had turned his face away but he turned back with a confused look on his face. "What?"

Harry repeated himself. Dumbledore's eyes rolled back and forth as he was thinking and finally he said "Oh, no, no, Harry, you got that all wrong. You see, I didn't save his life - he saved mine."

Now it was Harry's turn to look confused. "But how? Bud couldn't use magic and he didn't even have anything to defend himself with, all he had was his saxophone!"

"Yes, this is true...He really is too modest..." There was a pause. Dumbledore rubbed his temples a little before facing Harry again.

"Harry, I know I may quote-unquote "talk a good game", as children say nowadays. But the truth is, I really did not care much for what happened either way back then."

Seeing Harry was still lost, he continued.

"As I've said I never knew which one of us killed my sister, but I also didn't know just how I was gonna fight Grindelwald even if I did. Remember we WERE friends...once. Plus, I wondered whether or not he would say something and cause others to start questioning me and my relationship with him. All that combined depressed me enough to -" he shrugged. "Not care about whether or not I lived or died during this duel."

"And Bud changed that?" Dumbledore smiled.

Yes, he did. You see, I was thrown onto the roof and stayed down even though I wasn't very injured. I had a little bit of pride left and I wasn't going to give him the last look on my face right before he killed me. But then I heard someone yell 'HEY SPIKEY!' which I knew would get attention. Grindelwald always hated references to his hair.

"I looked up and saw Bud standing there..." Dumbledore trailed off.

"That was all it took?"

Dumbledore nodded and looked down at his feet. "I cannot explain it but yes, his presence brought me back to reality."

I was all prepared to be killed and dang anything else that would come after, but...he showed up and snapped me out of my reverie. A total stranger, and a defenseless Muggle at that! He didn't even have a gun...

"He made me realize that I still had something to fight for, a way to correct my mistakes (in a way). Plus, he was innocent in the whole conflict as were other Muggles who got caught up in the mess. When he saved my life I sent him, somewhat haphazardly, away from the scene so he wouldn't have his memory wiped. Because he saved me, I felt he did not deserve it."

"Then you met up later on."

"Oh, yes, we did. I was worried you did not hear that part. After the dust settled and the Wizarding World returned to normal - more or less - I sent him a letter telling him I wanted to meet him. I didn't suspect he'd go for it but he did and we met in an area of a nearby swamp - don't worry, I enchanted the place a bit so we could talk in peace...and also comfort." Dumbledore's face grimaced, remembering the discomfort.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh, many things. Our lives, mostly. It was rather slow, however, since Bud never knew magic was real and he wanted to know all about it and this was the first time I talked to a Muggle, I mean really talked to a Muggle, without magic or hiding or worse, the lip service I convinced myself of prior to my meeting him. Which I told him all about too. So Skeeter left out the only person that knew about everything prior to now, oddly enough!"

And when we were both done with our stories and questions we sat in silence for awhile. It was rather late and I wanted Bud to get some rest but at the same time...We both had that sense that this would be the last time we'd see one other or even another person like each other again or at least we would not while we were alive.

But we had to, so we bid farewell. That was the first - and last - time I met him face-to-face.

Harry absorbed all this and from the conversations he had with Bud, everything his headmaster said certainly sounded like things Bud would say. "Do you think one day Muggles and wizards could live together?"

"Yes, Harry, I do. My experiences have taught me that both of us, Muggle and wizard, are the same - one can just use magic."

"Why did you conceal him in your gramophone? Actually, WHEN did you hide him?"

"Shortly before we left to find Slytherin's locket. I called his spirit (I knew he had passed years before) to my office." Dumbledore paused a moment. "I was worried you might have trouble coming to grips with what you had to do, letting Voldemort kill you. I also didn't want to leave the other students empty-handed."

I explained about Voldemort and what he was doing and what I think might happen and asked him to stay here and protect the students in any way he could...

"Didn't even finish before he said he'd do it. No worries, I put a limit on the enchantment. If you had not found him he would've been free to go in about a month or so. Plus, I told him if he was ever found and expelled from the gramophone by anybody other than you, I said he could hide in the Chamber of Secrets because I didn't think anyone would look there. And that's the whole story. If you choose to go back, you are the one to decide what to do with it."

There were other things Harry asked about before turning around and going back but as he was leaving, he remembered something else.

"Professor, did you say anything to Bud after your only encounter?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I told him that I didn't know any Muggles personally but even if I met and became friends with a thousand different Muggles, Bud Caldwell would still be my best friend."

His response? 'And you would be my best wizard friend too!'


I know I said this got away from me, but I hope I was able to put out the friendship vibes! :D

This story is now In-Progress again and we only have TWO CHAPTERS TO GO! :O

Now that we've seen how these two met, we'll find out what happens to Bud nineteen years later!

Staaaay tuned...