Part 5
Part of Albus' concerns were, indeed, the wife that his parents had selected for him. Her name was Dominique Stairfawn. She was the absolute most beautiful girl Albus had ever seen (when he met her), with pale skin, deep blue eyes, an hourglass figure and long blonde hair. Her mother was French, and had inherited a great fortune, and her father was a well-respected Englishman of good business. They were a Wizarding family, of course. However, on the long walk that Albus and Dominique had taken around her father's estate, Albus had discovered that Miss Stairfawn could never hold his affections. She was illiterate, ignorant, arrogant, haughty, dumb, dull-witted, and spoiled.
He had not shared this with his parents, yet, for he knew it would upset them. However, he had to tell them soon, for they had practically set the date for the wedding, though Albus had not yet proposed. They, of course, would not marry until he was twenty-two, at least, and had established himself in the world. However, his parents were eager to see him distinguished, rich, and with a beautiful wife. Her parents were eager to get rid of her, for, as afore mentioned, she was spoiled, and when she did not get what she wanted (a rare occurrence), she could become quite the little four-year-old.
This was weighing heavily on Albus' mind, as well as all the pressure his professors were putting on him. Every night he and Nicholas were seen, unfailingly, at the desks which Albus had requested in the separate room which would have been used as his quarters, had he not refused. They were surrounded by rolls of parchment and thick books, bottles of ink and dozens of spare and used quills on hand. They retired at around two in the morning, and woke just on time to grab a bite for breakfast and make it to their first lesson.
About three months into their seventh year, Albus began hearing rumors around school that linked himself to Gabriella Patil. They were of love and betrayal and lies. Finally, he heard the whole story. Supposedly, he was supposed to court Gabriella, but was not because his affections lay elsewhere, but no one knew about Dominique except Nicholas. The only other secret he learned was that he loved someone else in the Hufflepuff house. Albus quickly put a stop to these rumors, though they bothered him greatly. He had no doubt that Gabriella Patil had been spreading them.
"What should I do about it, Nicholas?" Albus asked one night, as they worked in their study.
"Do about what?" Nicholas muttered, obviously not paying attention, dipping his quill into an ink well.
Albus set his own quill down, and stood, stretching out his arm.
"Gabriella Patil," The name left a foul taste on his lips, "You have heard the rumors she has been spreading, right?"
"Yes, I have," Nicholas dipped the quill again and continued writing, "About how you had promised your love unfailingly to her, and then betrayed her, and you are actually in love with her closest friend...What is her name? Pansy?"
"Something like that, I really can not recall."
"And so she has been disgraced by your indecent actions."
"Yes, those would be the rumors. I know she must be spreading them, for she seems quite the type of girl to do it."
"Make sure that your accusations are not wrongly placed, Albus," Nicholas, who still had not turned around from his work, said, "But, if you have no doubt that it is Gabriella Patil, by all means, send her a letter and talk to her about it. Tell her that you dislike the attention, that you dislike the gossip, and that, above all, you dislike her."
Albus said nothing, only seemed to be considering what Nicholas had said. Then, he strode over to Nicholas' desk, and peered over his shoulder.
"What are you writing?"
Nicholas gave a violent start and turned around, blocking the pages with his hand.
"Oh, come now, Nicholas, if it is more research, I should see it," Albus said, "What is it?"
"All my latest research is over there," Nicholas pointed to a table on which several neat stacks of notes were set, "This is something else."
A look of delight spread over Albus' face, and he began trying to snatch it from behind Nicholas' back, "What is it? A love letter perhaps? A love letter to a girl professing your everlasting adoration to her?"
"Albus - " Nicholas said in a warning tone.
"Your endless yearning?"
"Albus!"
"Your undying devotion?"
"Albus!" Nicholas practically yelled, "No! It is simply a personal matter! Now please, leave me be!"
On Saturday morning, there was a knock on the seventh-year girls' dormitory in Hufflepuff house. One of the girls rose and answered it. It was a house elf with a letter for Gabriella. The girl thanked the house elf, and then closed the door.
"Gabriella!" She shrieked, "Gabriella!"
"What?" Said Gabriella from the vanity.
"You've got a letter!"
In an instant, Gabriella had leapt up and wrenched the letter out of the girl's hand, while the other girls watched nervously, looking at each other excitedly.
Gabriella opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment.
Miss Patil,
I do not wish that this letter should cause any more rumors than our apparent connections already have. However, I fear that is unavoidable, though I would like to state my purposes. I simply would like to inquire if you would honor me with your company, this afternoon after luncheon, for a walk on the grounds. Please send an answer immediately, so I might know whether or not to wait for you in the entrance hall.
Sincerely,
Signed Albus Dumbledore
Gabriella looked over the letter four more times. No brash confession of love? No heartfelt passages of his affections? Surely there must be something amiss! Gabriella grasped her skirt, looking very pained indeed.
"What is it?" A girl asked.
"I can not speak of it," Gabriella folded the note and tucked it away, "It is a deep personal matter."
"Does he want to court you?"
"I can not speak of it!" Gabriella exclaimed.
This drama did not help the situation. Soon, more rumors were flying about the castle, this time about how Albus Dumbledore had broken Gabriella Patil's heart and such. There was, of course, nothing of the like, Gabriella was merely suffering from severe disappointment. However, she quickly redeemed herself with the idea that he did not want to confess his love in something so impersonal as a small note. Indeed, that would be quite discorteous! No, he wanted to tell her in person, so that she might be able to see the love in his eyes.
Gabriella quickly wrote a note accepting the invitation, and sent it off. Then, she busied herself with changing out of her blue dress into her gray dress, which she felt was most flattering. Then she made Poppy do her hair in such a way, and she powdered her nose rather heavily out of nerves. They were almost late for luncheon, but made it on time, entering the Great Hall to a flurry of whispers and discreet smiles. Gabriella sat down gracefully, carefully out of view of Albus Dumbledore, and quickly only picked at her meal.
"Miss Patil."
Gabriella whirled around. She had been waiting nervously in the entrance hall for fifteen minutes, having left luncheon early in order to make a quick run to the powder room to check herself once more.
"Mister Dumbledore," She returned.
They bowed slightly to each other.
"I will get our cloaks," He said, when he saw Gabriella moving towards the coat room.
When he returned, he helped her into her dark blue cloak before putting on his own black one. She could not but think how handsome he looked in his tan trousers and jacket.
"Shall we?" He held the door open.
Gabriella passed through it, smiling at him. He managed to keep his face pleasant, but thought that she was the most atrocious girl at this school. Not only was she nosy, annoying, and jealous, she did not know how to flatter herself. The gray dress she was wearing made her look dull and lacking liveliness, and she had put to much powder on her face, making her look pale and sickly. Why had she chosen to wear gray? He wondered, The Hufflepuffs wear gray on school days! All together, she was not very charming.
"What is this matter of importance that you speak so urgently of in your letter?" Gabriella asked when they had gotten all the way down the steps to the grounds. Albus offered his arm, and she gladly took it.
"You may know," He said slowly, "Of certain rumors that have been circulating the castle for some time now."
"I am sorry, my dear Mister Dumbledore, but I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Forgive my imprudence, but I am afraid you do," Albus looked at her piercingly, "Rumors that we have been courting and that I have dishonored you."
"No!" Gabriella gasped, "I can not believe such a thing? Who would want to spread such tales about us? The two most unlikely figures in this school to ever be connected to each other, in any way!"
"Is it so unlikely? You, the daughter of a respectable family, and I, the son of the same sort of family, both rich, both looking to marry someone when they graduate. I do not think that the students of this school would find it so unlikely. You know how people are. They like gossip and romance."
"Yes, but that is just socializing. Everyone gossips, and everyone is nosy in everyone else's business."
"Not everyone," Albus said, "I am not. My dearest friends are not. And, quite frankly, I do not see any reason for these rumors to continue. You may enjoy being society's favorite piece of gossip, I find it to be dishonorable and I think that anyone that engages in such talk lacks true class."
"I quite agree with you!" Gabriella looked at him eagerly.
"I am not fooled by you," He continued coldly, "I know that you had it in your mind for quite some time that you were the object of my affections. I am here to tell you that I have never held you in any affection other than that of a mere acquaintance. I have no plans in my future that include you, so I wish you to stop the spread of these ridiculous notions of yours, so that we both might come out of this with our reputations intact."
Gabriella was stunned. Though his voice was calm, his manner polite, such a speech was not expected. They walked in silence for some time.
"Allow me to escort you back to the castle," Albus said finally.
They returned silently to the castle, bowed to each other, and returned to their common rooms. Gabriella walked heavily, angered, disgusted, shocked. Albus walked lightly, happy, and with a great feeling of satisfaction.
Part of Albus' concerns were, indeed, the wife that his parents had selected for him. Her name was Dominique Stairfawn. She was the absolute most beautiful girl Albus had ever seen (when he met her), with pale skin, deep blue eyes, an hourglass figure and long blonde hair. Her mother was French, and had inherited a great fortune, and her father was a well-respected Englishman of good business. They were a Wizarding family, of course. However, on the long walk that Albus and Dominique had taken around her father's estate, Albus had discovered that Miss Stairfawn could never hold his affections. She was illiterate, ignorant, arrogant, haughty, dumb, dull-witted, and spoiled.
He had not shared this with his parents, yet, for he knew it would upset them. However, he had to tell them soon, for they had practically set the date for the wedding, though Albus had not yet proposed. They, of course, would not marry until he was twenty-two, at least, and had established himself in the world. However, his parents were eager to see him distinguished, rich, and with a beautiful wife. Her parents were eager to get rid of her, for, as afore mentioned, she was spoiled, and when she did not get what she wanted (a rare occurrence), she could become quite the little four-year-old.
This was weighing heavily on Albus' mind, as well as all the pressure his professors were putting on him. Every night he and Nicholas were seen, unfailingly, at the desks which Albus had requested in the separate room which would have been used as his quarters, had he not refused. They were surrounded by rolls of parchment and thick books, bottles of ink and dozens of spare and used quills on hand. They retired at around two in the morning, and woke just on time to grab a bite for breakfast and make it to their first lesson.
About three months into their seventh year, Albus began hearing rumors around school that linked himself to Gabriella Patil. They were of love and betrayal and lies. Finally, he heard the whole story. Supposedly, he was supposed to court Gabriella, but was not because his affections lay elsewhere, but no one knew about Dominique except Nicholas. The only other secret he learned was that he loved someone else in the Hufflepuff house. Albus quickly put a stop to these rumors, though they bothered him greatly. He had no doubt that Gabriella Patil had been spreading them.
"What should I do about it, Nicholas?" Albus asked one night, as they worked in their study.
"Do about what?" Nicholas muttered, obviously not paying attention, dipping his quill into an ink well.
Albus set his own quill down, and stood, stretching out his arm.
"Gabriella Patil," The name left a foul taste on his lips, "You have heard the rumors she has been spreading, right?"
"Yes, I have," Nicholas dipped the quill again and continued writing, "About how you had promised your love unfailingly to her, and then betrayed her, and you are actually in love with her closest friend...What is her name? Pansy?"
"Something like that, I really can not recall."
"And so she has been disgraced by your indecent actions."
"Yes, those would be the rumors. I know she must be spreading them, for she seems quite the type of girl to do it."
"Make sure that your accusations are not wrongly placed, Albus," Nicholas, who still had not turned around from his work, said, "But, if you have no doubt that it is Gabriella Patil, by all means, send her a letter and talk to her about it. Tell her that you dislike the attention, that you dislike the gossip, and that, above all, you dislike her."
Albus said nothing, only seemed to be considering what Nicholas had said. Then, he strode over to Nicholas' desk, and peered over his shoulder.
"What are you writing?"
Nicholas gave a violent start and turned around, blocking the pages with his hand.
"Oh, come now, Nicholas, if it is more research, I should see it," Albus said, "What is it?"
"All my latest research is over there," Nicholas pointed to a table on which several neat stacks of notes were set, "This is something else."
A look of delight spread over Albus' face, and he began trying to snatch it from behind Nicholas' back, "What is it? A love letter perhaps? A love letter to a girl professing your everlasting adoration to her?"
"Albus - " Nicholas said in a warning tone.
"Your endless yearning?"
"Albus!"
"Your undying devotion?"
"Albus!" Nicholas practically yelled, "No! It is simply a personal matter! Now please, leave me be!"
On Saturday morning, there was a knock on the seventh-year girls' dormitory in Hufflepuff house. One of the girls rose and answered it. It was a house elf with a letter for Gabriella. The girl thanked the house elf, and then closed the door.
"Gabriella!" She shrieked, "Gabriella!"
"What?" Said Gabriella from the vanity.
"You've got a letter!"
In an instant, Gabriella had leapt up and wrenched the letter out of the girl's hand, while the other girls watched nervously, looking at each other excitedly.
Gabriella opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment.
Miss Patil,
I do not wish that this letter should cause any more rumors than our apparent connections already have. However, I fear that is unavoidable, though I would like to state my purposes. I simply would like to inquire if you would honor me with your company, this afternoon after luncheon, for a walk on the grounds. Please send an answer immediately, so I might know whether or not to wait for you in the entrance hall.
Sincerely,
Signed Albus Dumbledore
Gabriella looked over the letter four more times. No brash confession of love? No heartfelt passages of his affections? Surely there must be something amiss! Gabriella grasped her skirt, looking very pained indeed.
"What is it?" A girl asked.
"I can not speak of it," Gabriella folded the note and tucked it away, "It is a deep personal matter."
"Does he want to court you?"
"I can not speak of it!" Gabriella exclaimed.
This drama did not help the situation. Soon, more rumors were flying about the castle, this time about how Albus Dumbledore had broken Gabriella Patil's heart and such. There was, of course, nothing of the like, Gabriella was merely suffering from severe disappointment. However, she quickly redeemed herself with the idea that he did not want to confess his love in something so impersonal as a small note. Indeed, that would be quite discorteous! No, he wanted to tell her in person, so that she might be able to see the love in his eyes.
Gabriella quickly wrote a note accepting the invitation, and sent it off. Then, she busied herself with changing out of her blue dress into her gray dress, which she felt was most flattering. Then she made Poppy do her hair in such a way, and she powdered her nose rather heavily out of nerves. They were almost late for luncheon, but made it on time, entering the Great Hall to a flurry of whispers and discreet smiles. Gabriella sat down gracefully, carefully out of view of Albus Dumbledore, and quickly only picked at her meal.
"Miss Patil."
Gabriella whirled around. She had been waiting nervously in the entrance hall for fifteen minutes, having left luncheon early in order to make a quick run to the powder room to check herself once more.
"Mister Dumbledore," She returned.
They bowed slightly to each other.
"I will get our cloaks," He said, when he saw Gabriella moving towards the coat room.
When he returned, he helped her into her dark blue cloak before putting on his own black one. She could not but think how handsome he looked in his tan trousers and jacket.
"Shall we?" He held the door open.
Gabriella passed through it, smiling at him. He managed to keep his face pleasant, but thought that she was the most atrocious girl at this school. Not only was she nosy, annoying, and jealous, she did not know how to flatter herself. The gray dress she was wearing made her look dull and lacking liveliness, and she had put to much powder on her face, making her look pale and sickly. Why had she chosen to wear gray? He wondered, The Hufflepuffs wear gray on school days! All together, she was not very charming.
"What is this matter of importance that you speak so urgently of in your letter?" Gabriella asked when they had gotten all the way down the steps to the grounds. Albus offered his arm, and she gladly took it.
"You may know," He said slowly, "Of certain rumors that have been circulating the castle for some time now."
"I am sorry, my dear Mister Dumbledore, but I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Forgive my imprudence, but I am afraid you do," Albus looked at her piercingly, "Rumors that we have been courting and that I have dishonored you."
"No!" Gabriella gasped, "I can not believe such a thing? Who would want to spread such tales about us? The two most unlikely figures in this school to ever be connected to each other, in any way!"
"Is it so unlikely? You, the daughter of a respectable family, and I, the son of the same sort of family, both rich, both looking to marry someone when they graduate. I do not think that the students of this school would find it so unlikely. You know how people are. They like gossip and romance."
"Yes, but that is just socializing. Everyone gossips, and everyone is nosy in everyone else's business."
"Not everyone," Albus said, "I am not. My dearest friends are not. And, quite frankly, I do not see any reason for these rumors to continue. You may enjoy being society's favorite piece of gossip, I find it to be dishonorable and I think that anyone that engages in such talk lacks true class."
"I quite agree with you!" Gabriella looked at him eagerly.
"I am not fooled by you," He continued coldly, "I know that you had it in your mind for quite some time that you were the object of my affections. I am here to tell you that I have never held you in any affection other than that of a mere acquaintance. I have no plans in my future that include you, so I wish you to stop the spread of these ridiculous notions of yours, so that we both might come out of this with our reputations intact."
Gabriella was stunned. Though his voice was calm, his manner polite, such a speech was not expected. They walked in silence for some time.
"Allow me to escort you back to the castle," Albus said finally.
They returned silently to the castle, bowed to each other, and returned to their common rooms. Gabriella walked heavily, angered, disgusted, shocked. Albus walked lightly, happy, and with a great feeling of satisfaction.