Albus Dumbledore (In which Kerry attempts to write dialogue in the style of the period. This story takes place in 1865.)
Fifteen year-old Albus Dumbledore looked at himself in a mirror in the Prefect's bathroom and sighed. Gingerly, he placed his hands on his cheeks to feel for any sign of whiskers growing in. There were none.
He had been alive for five thousand, six hundred and fifty-seven days and not a single whisker. Albus tried not to be jealous of the other Gryffindor boys in his year, but it was hard not to be. All of them had a visible fuzz on their cheeks. Lucky Abraham Ramsbottom had to shave every single day.
But not Albus. He didn't have the slightest hint of facial hair. He squinted at the mirror and tried to imagine himself with a long auburn beard, just like his father's. Albus prided himself on having a well-used imagination, but he still couldn't envision himself with a beard.
The door opened, and Albus hurriedly moved away from the mirror. Jacob Towler, a seventh year prefect from Ravenclaw, gave him a wave. Albus couldn't help but cast a quick look at Jacob's muttonchops.
Albus walked slowly back to the Gryffindor common room, his mind still pre-occupied with facial hair. His older brother Aberforth, a seventh year, had been shaving for three years. That would mean Albus would have started shaving last year. He supposed he could always use a little magic to coax out some whiskers. But that would be cheating. No, Albus would wait until his facial hair finally started to grow in on its own.
Automatically he gave the password to the fat lady and the door swung open. He didn't bother to look up as he stepped inside and straight into Blanche Williamson.
Blanche tripped over her long skirt and started falling to the floor. Luckily, Albus was quick enough to catch her as she fell. Blanche looked up and blushed.
"Thank you, Dumbledore," she said with a smile as Albus stood her up straight.
"It's an honor to be of service to you, m'lady," Albus said gallantly with a bow.
Blanche threw back some of her curly blonde hair over her shoulder. Blanche was a sixth year. Generally, girls in sixth year and above started wearing their hair up in a bun, but Blanche still allowed her hair to fall down her back.
"My knight in shining amour," Blanche teased.
"More like a helper in a Hogwarts uniform," Albus laughed back.
"I'm on my way to the library," Blanche said. "I'm sure I will see you later."
Albus nodded, and tried to keep himself from staring as she walked down the long corridor. Only when she Blanche was out of sight did Albus let out the breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. Blanche was quite possibly the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts. He didn't just think so; everyone else at the school seemed to agree.
There was something about the way she carried herself that was so different from the other girls. Even in class it was noticeable. Her antics in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were legendary. While most of the girls didn't want to deal with the practical application of the class, Blanche fought just as well as any man. She had no problem having to drop and roll to the ground in a duel and would loudly complain that her uniform, which included a floor length skirt, always was in the way.
Albus knew himself well enough to know that he had a bit of a crush on Blanche. She was too perfect, though. She would never consent to walking out with Albus, even if he had the courage to ask her!
Albus woke himself up from his reverie and went into the common room. His best friend, Tony Marvolo was sitting in their favorite chairs right by the fireplace. Albus sat his lanky frame down in a chair next to him. Not realizing it, Albus let out a long sigh.
"Why are you in a snit?" Tony asked.
"A snit, Marvolo?" Albus asked. "I hadn't realized I was in a snit."
"You most certainly are in a snit, my friend," Tony said laughing.
"I shall endeavor to remove myself from this snit you say I'm in," Albus told him.
"You do that," Tony smirked.
"I was just thinking about our girl," Albus sighed. Tony had a crush on Blanche as well. In fact, Albus couldn't think of a single Gryffindor male that didn't put Blanche on a pedestal.
"Perfection in form of a young female," Tony said, placing his hand over his heart.
"Do you think she would ever let me court her?" Albus asked suddenly.
"She's said no to better men than you," Tony said dryly. "Namely myself."
"I'm in Gryffindor, mate. I should be able to simply ask her to take a walk with me," Albus mused.
"You should," Tony told him. "The question is, would you?"
Albus stood up suddenly. "I will. Right now."
Tony looked around the room with an exaggerated look on his face. "I hate to break it to you, my dear sir, but our girl is not here."
"She's in the library," Albus said softly.
"Then why are you still here?"
Albus gave Tony a grin and walked confidently out of the common room. He continued to build himself up during the long walk to the library. When he entered, his eye immediately searched for Blanche. She was sitting at a table, surrounded by a study group. Albus tried to catch her eye, her beautiful dark brown eyes, but she was talking enthusiastically to the girl next to her.
Feeling somewhat defeated already, Albus walked between two book cases near the table she was sitting in. He heard her laughing with the group, talking about Potions. Just hearing her laugh made Albus' spirits rise. He decided to stay where he was and do a bit of practicing for O.W.L.S, which were coming up in just three weeks.
He casually leaned against one of the shelves and concentrated on two books that were on the top shelf across from him. Then he tapped his wand once against each book. Slowly, the books began to levitate. Albus moved the books to the middle of the aisle, still floating at eye level.
Humming his favorite aria, the books slowly started to waltz mid-air. Albus tapped the books again, and they started changing colors. He then changed his tune to a Spanish number, causing the books to tango to the music. Albus couldn't help but move his feet along with the music.
"How in the world are you doing that?" an astonished voice said behind him.
Albus turned suddenly, breaking his concentration and causing the books to fall to the floor. His throat went slightly dry when he saw that it was Blanche.
"Doing what?" Albus asked.
"Making the books dance mid-air!" Blanche said excitedly. "I'm only able to make objects dance on a flat surface."
"Just a variation on the incantation that I discovered," Albus said, feeling his cheeks reddening.
"That's absolutely brilliant," Blanche said, shaking her head. "You should show that off when you have the practical examination for your O.W.L.S."
"I might," Albus shrugged, trying not to sound too excited.
Blanche studied the books on the floor. "That's one of the books I need," she said, pointing to the dark leather bound one. Albus leaned down to pick it up for her just as Blanche did the same. Their heads met with a resounding crack, causing Blanche to tumble to the floor.
"Miss Williamson, I apologize!" Albus cried, offering his hand to help her up.
"No harm done, Dumbledore," Blanche said, rubbing her head. "These things happen."
"Are you well? Would you like me to escort you to the Hospital Wing?" Albus asked, desperate to please.
Blanche seemed to think for a moment before she took his hand and he helped her off of the floor. "I do believe I could use a quick healing charm," she said softly. "Are you all right?"
"My body is fine, Miss Williamson, I'm just mortified that I caused you to fall," Albus said truthfully.
"Let me get my satchel. I'm done studying for the day anyway," Blanche said.
Albus nodded. He knew he should feel bad about hitting her head with his, but he couldn't be more than thrilled that he would be walking with her all the way to the hospital wing. Blanche said good-bye to her study group and together, they walked out of the library. Albus took her satchel and carried it for her.
He was just trying to get the courage to offer his arm, when she took it and gave him a smile.
"Are you dizzy?" Albus asked, alarmed.
Blanche shook her head. "Not at all," she told him.
They walked in a companionable silence through the hallways. Albus nodded occasionally to people he knew and Blanche said hello to almost everyone they passed. He could tell that more than one person was wondering what she was doing on his arm. She made him feel ten feet tall.
He stopped in front of the door to the Hospital Wing. "Here you are, Miss Williamson," Albus said with a smile.
"Here I am, Albus," Blanche said softly.
The casual use of his first name caused him to meet her eyes quickly. Blanche was short and petite; Albus practically towered over her. "Miss Williamson?" Albus asked hoarsely.
"We're alone. Please call me Blanche," she told him. She chewed slightly on her lower lip and all Albus could think of was how those lips must taste.
"Blanche, then," Albus said. His thoughts were going through his head at a hundred miles an hour. She was letting him call her by her first name. If he asked her on a walk, he was sure she'd say yes. "After you've had your healing charm…would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a walk around the lagoon?"
"I don't need a healing charm," Blanche said mischievously, throwing her curls over her shoulder. "I wanted a chance to be alone with you."
Albus knew he should be shocked. No proper young lady contrived a way to be alone with a man, unless…
Blanche threw down her hands. "Do you know how hard it is to be a woman, sometimes? Especially when you think you've found a like minded person, but society won't allow the woman to say anything! I've been dropping hint after hint, Albus! And I'm not willing to wait much longer for you to realize this."
Without meaning to, Albus' jaw dropped. He never envisioned a woman like this in a million years. Before he could stop himself, Albus took her in his arms and kissed her softly on the lips.
He was about to close his eyes when she slapped him across the face. "You forget yourself, sir," Blanche said.
"Miss Williamson!" Albus exclaimed. He was absolutely mortified with what he had just done. He had always been taught never to kiss a lady without permission. And he forgets on his very first kiss! "Please accept my apologies."
"I told you to call me Blanche when we're alone," she said, her eyes twinkling.
Albus' shoulders dropped. "I don't understand."
Blanche threw back her head and laughed. "You caught me off guard, that's all. You may kiss me."
"Really?" Albus asked eagerly. Blanche nodded and took a step closer to him.
"You realize, of course, that you will have to be my beau because of this," Blanche whispered in his ear. "It would be scandalous if you kissed me and then refused to court me."
"I would be honored to be your beau, Blanche," Albus said earnestly.
"Then why haven't you kissed me yet?"
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Two weeks later, just before the O.W.L.S, Albus Dumbledore felt the slightest trace of whiskers upon his cheeks.
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A/N – So how'd I do? Did the dialogue make sense? It's hard to write a different time period!
Yes, Tony Marvolo is Lord Voldemort's great-grandfather. I can picture Marvolo and Dumbledore being just like James and Sirius. (For those of you who follow The Destiny of Minerva Duncan, the relationship will be explained eventually)
And I'm doing something different for the next chapter. We're going to have a vote! Please vote for who should be next either in the form of a review, or an e-mail (see my profile for my address)
George Weasley…or…Cornelius Fudge…or Hannah Abbott