DISCLAIMER: If the names you see appeared between the covers of Harry
Potter and: the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets,
the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Goblet of Fire, then they don't belong to me.
I'm just playing about with them. =)
A/N: I am so sorry this has taken so long. Migraines, exams, surprise birthday parties with phallic cakes and naked pictures of Satan can do to distract a person! Enjoy! Oh, and I warn you all now (erm, all seven of you), if it was fluffy before, you ain't seen nuthin' yet! Oh, and to the person who questioned Albus' appearance, all will be explained. Just trust me. *wink* ~LS
Chapter 3: The Plan
After our talk - or Albus' monologue, as it were - we did not discuss the Hogwarts Fellowship, his tattoo, and certainly not the Corpio Eterno Curse. My transfiguration research was going quite well, but not the other research I had begun. I wanted to further understand the curse with which Albus had been afflicted, but it was so long out of practice that finding any information on Corpio Eterno involved going into the Restricted Section. Being the pet that I was, it was not difficult to come up with reasons that I needed a Restricted book, but my conscience would get the better of me more often than not.
I conducted both areas of research and had a wonderful time getting to know Albus until the end of term, when it was time for the Christmas holiday. I wanted to stay with him and continue my research, but Albus insisted that I go home as I had every Christmas the past six years. "My darling, we have years of Christmases. Spend this one with the family with whom you are so close." Upon arriving home, I realized he was right. I love my family dearly, and this was my last Christmas with them before graduation. Family members that I had not seen in several years had Flooed in to give me early graduation presents and to wish me well. Most members of my family are always so busy with work that seeing them meant more to me than I could have realized had I not been there. I mentally noted to thank Albus for sending me home.
I soon found another reason to thank Albus for insisting that I return home this year. My great-aunt, Ludmilla, renowned within the family for her odd and wonderful gifts, had stumbled upon an all but unknown minuscule bookstore in Estonia and had themed all the gifts she gave this year around her discovery.
"Minerva my dear! Oh how you've grown. The last time I saw you, you were awaiting your Hogwarts acceptance. This was the first purchase I made in that wonderful old bookstore. I saw it, and you immediately sprang to mind."
This was too good to be true. I refused to believe it until the present was unwrapped, the book sitting in my lap, but there it was, plain as day. Sitting in my lap, staring up at me, was the title Hogwarts Text of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I spent the rest of the holiday pouring over the book. The ancient spells, potions, incantations that the book contained, most of them long forgotten, were incredible to read. There were unfamiliar ingredients for common potions, evolved as the physical world changed through the ages; words that I could not pronounce without practicing out loud for several hours.
I avoided reading the Dark Arts section over the holiday, knowing that I could do nothing with that knowledge without Albus.
/Great-Aunt Ludmilla,/ I thought, /If we were Muggles, the Catholics would canonize you./
~
When I returned to Hogwarts I immediately found Poppy and gave her copies of some common potions with archaic recipes. She loved them as much as I knew she would. I wanted to give her recipes for potions that were no longer in use, but, having little or no idea as to the accuracy of the unfamiliar potions' effects, I did not want to cause trouble for my friend.
My next stop was, of course, the Muggle Studies classroom and Albus. I was excited to show him my book, but something stopped me. I decided to read the Dark Arts section myself and conduct independent research before showing him the book. I instead thanked him for insisting that I go home and told him about the relatives I saw and how much fun I had.
We talked late into the night, later than usual. We had refrained from using the Owl Post more than once each so we would have a lot to talk about once we were together again. We again took that wonderful potion that allowed us to stay awake. /I really must learn this potion. It is wonderful for a workaholic like myself./
We had three days before classes started back, and I, instead of working at all on my textbook, spent all my research time reading the Hogwarts Text. As much as I wanted to delve into the Dark Arts section, I was not able to bring myself to read it until the day before classes began, when I should have been preparing for the new term. I think I was afraid the book would not tell me anything, and, when I began reading, it appeared my fears were realized. Unlike the book's other sections, the Dart Arts only explained how to cast curses and hexes. I saw nothing about how to reverse them. /I must have missed something,/ I thought. I reread the entire section, from beginning to end, and could find nothing on curse reversal. /How in the world can I help Albus if the curse can't be reversed? This is impossible. Everything can be reversed somehow, everything except Avada Kedavra. Corpio Eterno is the exact opposite of the Killing Curse. That's it! Eternal life (after a fashion) on one extreme, death on the other. Neither can be reversed, only blocked. Oh poor Albus; he must already know. Surely he has researched it, and he didn't want to tell me./
I spent the first two weeks of classes going through the motions; nothing is really ever done at the start of term anyway, something that has always disappointed me but something for which I was now grateful. I had my mind on other matter.
~
My decision was made. I had read everything I could find, and I saw no other option.
"Come in," Albus answered my knock at his classroom door. "Ah! What a lovely distraction. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Albus, how do you handle it?" He looked at me curiously. "How do you handle the knowledge that the end is never truly the end? Doesn't it drive you mad, seeing everyone you love die around you, lifetime after lifetime?"
He smiled sadly. "I had managed to force myself to enjoy living and form great friendships without loving anyone too much. I'm afraid you have upset my way of dealing with my situation."
His eyes were twinkling again, but he still looked sad. I knew I had broached a painful subject, and seeing his expression broke my heart. I had a plan though.
"Albus, I never showed you what Great-Aunt Ludmilla gave me for Christmas." I pulled out the book and watched his eyes come to rest on the title. "I have been reading about Corpio Eterno, and I want you to put it on me."
End of Chapter
A/N: Ok ok, so all wasn't explained in this chapter, but it will be.sometime.at some point in the future. I just don't know when yet. The characters do what they want, and I just write about them.
A/N: I am so sorry this has taken so long. Migraines, exams, surprise birthday parties with phallic cakes and naked pictures of Satan can do to distract a person! Enjoy! Oh, and I warn you all now (erm, all seven of you), if it was fluffy before, you ain't seen nuthin' yet! Oh, and to the person who questioned Albus' appearance, all will be explained. Just trust me. *wink* ~LS
Chapter 3: The Plan
After our talk - or Albus' monologue, as it were - we did not discuss the Hogwarts Fellowship, his tattoo, and certainly not the Corpio Eterno Curse. My transfiguration research was going quite well, but not the other research I had begun. I wanted to further understand the curse with which Albus had been afflicted, but it was so long out of practice that finding any information on Corpio Eterno involved going into the Restricted Section. Being the pet that I was, it was not difficult to come up with reasons that I needed a Restricted book, but my conscience would get the better of me more often than not.
I conducted both areas of research and had a wonderful time getting to know Albus until the end of term, when it was time for the Christmas holiday. I wanted to stay with him and continue my research, but Albus insisted that I go home as I had every Christmas the past six years. "My darling, we have years of Christmases. Spend this one with the family with whom you are so close." Upon arriving home, I realized he was right. I love my family dearly, and this was my last Christmas with them before graduation. Family members that I had not seen in several years had Flooed in to give me early graduation presents and to wish me well. Most members of my family are always so busy with work that seeing them meant more to me than I could have realized had I not been there. I mentally noted to thank Albus for sending me home.
I soon found another reason to thank Albus for insisting that I return home this year. My great-aunt, Ludmilla, renowned within the family for her odd and wonderful gifts, had stumbled upon an all but unknown minuscule bookstore in Estonia and had themed all the gifts she gave this year around her discovery.
"Minerva my dear! Oh how you've grown. The last time I saw you, you were awaiting your Hogwarts acceptance. This was the first purchase I made in that wonderful old bookstore. I saw it, and you immediately sprang to mind."
This was too good to be true. I refused to believe it until the present was unwrapped, the book sitting in my lap, but there it was, plain as day. Sitting in my lap, staring up at me, was the title Hogwarts Text of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I spent the rest of the holiday pouring over the book. The ancient spells, potions, incantations that the book contained, most of them long forgotten, were incredible to read. There were unfamiliar ingredients for common potions, evolved as the physical world changed through the ages; words that I could not pronounce without practicing out loud for several hours.
I avoided reading the Dark Arts section over the holiday, knowing that I could do nothing with that knowledge without Albus.
/Great-Aunt Ludmilla,/ I thought, /If we were Muggles, the Catholics would canonize you./
~
When I returned to Hogwarts I immediately found Poppy and gave her copies of some common potions with archaic recipes. She loved them as much as I knew she would. I wanted to give her recipes for potions that were no longer in use, but, having little or no idea as to the accuracy of the unfamiliar potions' effects, I did not want to cause trouble for my friend.
My next stop was, of course, the Muggle Studies classroom and Albus. I was excited to show him my book, but something stopped me. I decided to read the Dark Arts section myself and conduct independent research before showing him the book. I instead thanked him for insisting that I go home and told him about the relatives I saw and how much fun I had.
We talked late into the night, later than usual. We had refrained from using the Owl Post more than once each so we would have a lot to talk about once we were together again. We again took that wonderful potion that allowed us to stay awake. /I really must learn this potion. It is wonderful for a workaholic like myself./
We had three days before classes started back, and I, instead of working at all on my textbook, spent all my research time reading the Hogwarts Text. As much as I wanted to delve into the Dark Arts section, I was not able to bring myself to read it until the day before classes began, when I should have been preparing for the new term. I think I was afraid the book would not tell me anything, and, when I began reading, it appeared my fears were realized. Unlike the book's other sections, the Dart Arts only explained how to cast curses and hexes. I saw nothing about how to reverse them. /I must have missed something,/ I thought. I reread the entire section, from beginning to end, and could find nothing on curse reversal. /How in the world can I help Albus if the curse can't be reversed? This is impossible. Everything can be reversed somehow, everything except Avada Kedavra. Corpio Eterno is the exact opposite of the Killing Curse. That's it! Eternal life (after a fashion) on one extreme, death on the other. Neither can be reversed, only blocked. Oh poor Albus; he must already know. Surely he has researched it, and he didn't want to tell me./
I spent the first two weeks of classes going through the motions; nothing is really ever done at the start of term anyway, something that has always disappointed me but something for which I was now grateful. I had my mind on other matter.
~
My decision was made. I had read everything I could find, and I saw no other option.
"Come in," Albus answered my knock at his classroom door. "Ah! What a lovely distraction. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Albus, how do you handle it?" He looked at me curiously. "How do you handle the knowledge that the end is never truly the end? Doesn't it drive you mad, seeing everyone you love die around you, lifetime after lifetime?"
He smiled sadly. "I had managed to force myself to enjoy living and form great friendships without loving anyone too much. I'm afraid you have upset my way of dealing with my situation."
His eyes were twinkling again, but he still looked sad. I knew I had broached a painful subject, and seeing his expression broke my heart. I had a plan though.
"Albus, I never showed you what Great-Aunt Ludmilla gave me for Christmas." I pulled out the book and watched his eyes come to rest on the title. "I have been reading about Corpio Eterno, and I want you to put it on me."
End of Chapter
A/N: Ok ok, so all wasn't explained in this chapter, but it will be.sometime.at some point in the future. I just don't know when yet. The characters do what they want, and I just write about them.