*Disclaimer:
Dumbledor belongs completely to J. K. Rowling, including his preference
for lemon drops. Helen and Meagan are
mine, but you can have them if you want.
The Old Man in the
Mall
Helen Tanner was walking through the mall with her
six-year-old daughter Meagan when they passed an old man with a long white
beard and white hair. He was sitting on
a bench, eating some candy out of a paper bag, and apparently enjoying himself
immensely.
Helen and Meagan saw him at the same time. Meagan's eyes lit up and she squealed in
excitement.
"Look, Mom!" she said eagerly. "It's –"
Helen sighed inwardly.
She just knew "Santa!" was coming.
Although this man was tall and thin, Meagan's overly active imagination
could compensate for anything.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Meagan finished. She grabbed her mother's hand and hauled her
over to the man, who was watching them with a bemused expression.
"Hello," the man said, smiling at the two of them.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Meagan said. She fished a pen and a piece of paper out of
her pocket. "Can I have your
autograph?"
The old man grinned, and a chuckle escaped his lips. He looked up at Helen, a sparkle in his
light blue eyes.
Helen looked at the man and shrugged helplessly. "Kids," she said, by way of an explanation.
The man turned back to Meagan, who was practically jumping
up and down with excitement. He took
the offered paper and wrote "Albus Dumbledore" in a loopy, flowing script. He handed it back to Meagan, who clutched
the scrap of paper like a treasured possession.
"I'm sorry, sir…" Helen began.
"No trouble at all," he replied, his eyes twinkling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The old man watched the girl and her mother walk away,
smiling to himself. He finished the
last of his lemon drops and stood up, crumpling the empty bag into his
pocket. "I'll have to work on my
disguise," he thought as he strolled off.
"Even Muggle children can recognize me!"
I bet everyone was expecting that, weren't they? I'm just so predictable. :)
