Part 8
Two mornings later, a gray owl came in with the mail, and landed next to Albus. Albus took its letter, and gave it his eggs, which he was not in the mood for. He observed the envelope and recognized his father's handwriting. After opening it, he read :
//Albus,
Son, I do not wish to interrupt or disturb your time at Hogwarts, but I must tell you of the events that have been taking place of late at Drakelane. Do not fear, we are all in perfect health. However, for the past week, Lord Stairfawn and his family have been residing with us. It would be discourteous to not indulge them, and ask them to continue their stay. They are here for Christmas as well.
You may have guessed it, which I do not doubt, but Lord Stairfawn has already approached me twice. It seems he wants his daughter married, and he wants her married soon, or at the very least, given a guarantee of her engagement to a respectable young man. Of course, you are his first pick, as well as Miss Stairfawn's.
I know that she did not exactly strike you as the kind of girl you would choose for a wife, at your prior meeting. Indeed, she is the dumbest girl I believe I have ever met. I do not know why her parents insist on keeping her uneducated, and I do not dare inquire. They are slowly beginning to put pressure on me to write to you and force you into an engagement with Dominique.
I will do nothing of the sort, yet. I must remind you, however, that in today's society, all anyone really cares is that a handsome, intelligent man such as yourself marries a beautiful wife. If she were smart, that would be better, but she is not. Dominique Stairfawn comes with an enormous inheritance, an estate, and her pretty face to parade about on your arm. I know it sounds very crass, but these are the facts. Please, do not completely disregard her, or, if you do, only do it because you have found someone better.
Sincerely,
Signed Father//
Albus read the letter once more, and sighed.
"What is this?" Paulettina snatched it out of his hand, smiling. As she read it, her face fell, "Oh dear. What are you going to do?"
"I am not sure," Albus rumpled his hair, "It seems almost as if there is nothing I can do but refuse. It would not be a complete dishonor, and quite understandable, but Mother and Father..."
"What?"
"They are not as...Forward with their feelings as I am. They are lovable people, but easily taken advantage of by people such as Lord Stairfawn. Dominique is just Lord Stairfawn's pawn to get himself more power. I have seen him with her, and he keeps her dumbed down so that she can not think anything for herself."
"She is beautiful, though, is she not?" Paulettina asked, returning the letter.
Albus took it, and folded it into his breast pocket, "Yes, but I want more than a beautiful wife, Paulettina. I want someone who is smart and clever and not afraid to tell me that she thinks I am a cad, if I am a cad indeed."
"You are never a cad, Albus," Paulettina said gently, "Never."
"I am, just not to you, because you will lecture me for it, and you give the most painful lectures. Worse than Professor Green. However, I can be a cad, and I need a wife who is brave enough to set me in line, for I believe it is the wife who really keeps order in the family. If she has a claim on the husband's affections, she can tell him when something is amiss. I need a girl who can do that, and, even more importantly, I need a girl that I can love. I can not love a porcelain doll."
Paulettina nodded, "Is there someone here, perhaps, that you love?"
Albus rubbed his face vigorously, "Not that I can think of. Do not be cross, dearest, for I hold you in the highest regard, but I do not think I could ever consider you as a wife to me."
"Of course not," Paulettina was very sincere, "That would not be an agreeable situation for our relationship."
"I am so glad you think that," Albus sighed, "...All the girls here are giggly and flirty, and I do not like them very much. I can pretend, but no one here is really, truly honest, and none of them will own their affections, and those who do own my affections for me as well as their own...No, I have yet to meet a girl that really is material to make a wife."
"Are you sure?"
Albus looked at Paulettina, who had a mischievous look on her pretty face. Her eyes darted to the left, towards the other side of the hall, then looked back at Albus, sparkling. Albus was puzzled, and his face wore a puzzled look, as he followed her glance.
It was as though God had thrown down a light on her. He looked past the Ravenclaws and the Slytherins, straight to the Hufflepuff table. There, sitting by herself and looking lost in thought, was Poppy Pomfrey. Her chin was on her hand, her eyes looking up at the ceiling, reflecting the clouds. Albus was transfixed by her image. Poppy Pomfrey was honest, clever, handsome, and respectable.
Poppy suddenly seemed to come to her senses. Her eyes locked with Albus', and she blushed deeply, gathered her things, and left in a flurry.
"Paulettina, you are a genius!" Albus exclaimed. He gently kissed his friend on the forehead, "Thank you. You have saved me."
"Not completely. Now you must write home and tell your father."
"I will do that now," Albus leapt up, and gathered his books of pieces of parchment.
"We have class!" Paulettina called after him.
Albus whirled around, "You are right! I'll do that tonight!"
"Come, Albus," Paulettina stood, finishing the last sentences of the letter she was holding. It was not long, and immediately captured Albus' interest.
"Who is that from?" He asked.
"No one," Paulettina said, folding it quickly, and tucking it in her pocket, "Let us go."
Albus said no more, but he thought he had recognized the hand that had written the letter very well. He also noticed that Nicholas looked very red as they passed him on their way out.
Paulettina would do anything to help her dearest friends out in such a situation, and therefore had to be very honest with herself. Albus, she decided, could use all the help he could get. He had never before seriously courted a girl, and it was important to know a girl's passions and pursuits before trying to please her with anything meaningful. A practical girl would find flowers and bits of poetry redundant and foolish, where as a romantic girl would find disgust in proper conversations and invitations for walks on the lawn.
So, between the first and second lessons of the day, Paulettina stood outside the infirmary and cursed herself. It was not a terrible curse, but it was enough to knock her unconscious for ten minutes. When she woke up, Paulettina was laying on a bed, covered by a blanket, and with a terrible headache.
"Miss Farrows, you are very ill," A gentle voice met her ears, "You will have to rest here for the next two days."
"Oh, no, I will be quite all right, I must attend class," Paulettina replied in a groggy voice.
"I can tell," The voice said, with a bite of sarcasm, "Miss Pomfrey, give her a sleeping draught and let her rest."
"Yes Madame Corlow."
Paulettina felt a goblet being put to her lips, and she drank. Almost immediately, she fell
back onto the pillow in a deep sleep.
When she woke the second time, it was two days later, and she saw by the cards on her nightstand that Albus and Nicholas had been to visit. Besides the cards, there were two enormous bouquets, and sweets. Paulettina smiled.
A rustling sound made her look over. Poppy Pomfrey stood there, a bottle in hand.
"I saw you were awake," She said, "And you must take this medicine."
Poppy spooned the yellow liquid into Paulettina's mouth.
"How are you feeling?" Poppy asked.
"Quite well, Miss Pomfrey, quite well."
"I shall leave you to rest, then," Poppy turned to go.
"No, please, stay, it will become so dull in here without someone to talk to," Paulettina urged, "I have long wanted to make your acquaintance, Miss Pomfrey, after our carriage incident, and after you danced with Mister Dumbledore so much last Saturday."
Poppy immediately became very interested, and took a seat next to Paulettina's bed.
"He speaks very highly of you, in every regard," Paulettina smiled.
"I am sure Mister Dumbledore exaggerates very much with his flattery," Poppy looked very pleased nonetheless.
"Oh no! Not at all!" Paulettina pushed herself up on her pillows, "Quite the opposite! Mister Dumbledore never exaggerates, especially in flattery. He is very arrogant, one of his many faults, and he despises effected or unintelligent people. It seems a dreadful flaw, but you must imagine it from his point of view. One of the most brilliant minds of our time, and he must spend his days with people who are nowhere near his understanding of...Almost anything!"
"I sometimes feel that way," Poppy said, "Though I am sure it is nowhere near the degree
of Mister Dumbledore's, or Mister Flamels'."
"I am not so sure," Paulettina resisted the urge to wink, "For he told me the day after the ball that you were witty, clever, honest, and he thought you to be the handsomest girl in school."
Poppy blushed deeply.
"I have embarrassed you," Paulettina sighed, "I should not have broached such a subject, but I could not help myself. I find that anyone who Albus holds in high regard, the more compelled I am to get to know them."
They were silent for a time, Poppy staring very hard at the wall.
"Mister Dumbledore is a very esteemable man," Poppy said finally, her words constrained.
"He is, more than anyone really knows," Paulettina jumped at the chance to glorify her friend, "Mister Dumbledore loves to tell jokes and he is wonderful to talk to about anything and everything in the world."
Poppy blushed a little and went silent again.
"You know," Paulettina finally said, pulling out her wand, "I should very much like to
draw you. Drawing is one of my favorite things to do, and I often thought you would be an interesting subject."
Poppy looked at her, "Miss Farrows, I am not sure...I have never before sat for a portrait."
"It is not hard," Paulettina said, "Please, would you be so kind as to let me? A simple sketch would do. It would take a quarter of an hour. Possibly less."
"I suppose," Poppy said reluctantly.
Paulettina was delighted with her scheme. She quickly placed Poppy in the room so that a beam of sunlight fell from the window and gave her an angelic look, haloing her face, illuminating her dark curls. Paulettina conjured herself a pad of sketching paper and two pencils, and quickly set about her work. It was not long before she had a portrait that perfectly captured the way the loose curls fell about Poppy's face, or how the slender fingers bent, or the deep-set eyes and the long lashes, or anything that Paulettina thought benefited the lovely girl.
"What does your father say?" Paulettina asked.
"You have returned!" Albus said, enveloping Paulettina in a hug.
"Yes," Paulettina squirmed out, "What does your father say?"
"I have not written him yet. I heard you had turned ill and immediately went to visit you, and my father's letter was put at the back of my mind."
"I am sorry I missed you, but I was given a sleeping draught by Miss Pomfrey and it was quite effective."
Paulettina sat and took in the effect that her simple comment had on Albus. He sat across from her in a red armchair.
"Did you speak at all with Miss Pomfrey?" He asked.
"Yes, I did," Paulettina smiled, "We became very well acquainted, she is a lovely girl. We learned all about each other, for we had six hours of chatting together, you know. She is very honest and modest."
"Indeed."
"She told me all about Wizarding medicine. She plans on taking over Madame Corlow's job when she retires, which, of course will not be for several years after Miss Pomfrey graduates."
"A nurse!" Albus cried, "She would be a well-respected woman indeed were she to take on such a profession!"
Paulettina nodded, "But what I found most charming is how humble she is. She lives a modest lifestyle at her cottage with her family, and she is so lovely, yet she remains very much in reality. She takes pleasure in simple things. She loves wildflowers, especially red and yellow ones, and she adores animals. Her favorite thing to eat in the world is dried cherries. Can you imagine how wonderful? I rarely see the great beauties of the world in such simple things as wildflowers, and they are bountiful on my family's estate, but I always take them for granted. What a shame that we do not have them here during winter, and that dried cherries are unavailable to us, considering the time of year."
Paulettina sighed dramatically, "I must go see our professors, to get the work I missed. I will see you at dinner."
Albus sat for a moment, and, after watching the portrait hole close, ran up to his desk. He sat down, took up a quill, and stuck it in an open ink well. Then he pulled open the drawer to get a piece of parchment, and -
There, laying on top, was a stiff piece of paper with a detailed sketch of a lovely girl on it. Albus smiled, and took it out, making sure not to get fingerprints on it. In the bottom, right-hand corner were the initials P.F. Albus could have kissed Paulettina, had she been there. He set it carefully on his desk and then pulled out parchment. He took his quill and wrote :
//Dearest Mother and Father,
I understand your urgency and your anxiety over this particular matter of my choosing a bride. I think you will be quite relieved to find that I have found a girl here that is a more than decent replacement for Miss Stairfawn. Her name is Poppy Pomfrey, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, and I fear you would love her so much you would never want to let her go. She is handsome, clever, and witty. This is all I can say for now, for I do not know her very well, and have not officially begun to court her. Please, hold off Lord Stairfawn for as long as you can. I will see you at Christmas, and then do the best I can to ward him off as well.
Love,
Signed Albus//
Albus took the picture, and, using a simple charm, made a small copy of it and applied it to the letter, so that there was a picture of Poppy for his parents to see.
Albus ran down to the owlery and immediately sent the letter off.
Two mornings later, a gray owl came in with the mail, and landed next to Albus. Albus took its letter, and gave it his eggs, which he was not in the mood for. He observed the envelope and recognized his father's handwriting. After opening it, he read :
//Albus,
Son, I do not wish to interrupt or disturb your time at Hogwarts, but I must tell you of the events that have been taking place of late at Drakelane. Do not fear, we are all in perfect health. However, for the past week, Lord Stairfawn and his family have been residing with us. It would be discourteous to not indulge them, and ask them to continue their stay. They are here for Christmas as well.
You may have guessed it, which I do not doubt, but Lord Stairfawn has already approached me twice. It seems he wants his daughter married, and he wants her married soon, or at the very least, given a guarantee of her engagement to a respectable young man. Of course, you are his first pick, as well as Miss Stairfawn's.
I know that she did not exactly strike you as the kind of girl you would choose for a wife, at your prior meeting. Indeed, she is the dumbest girl I believe I have ever met. I do not know why her parents insist on keeping her uneducated, and I do not dare inquire. They are slowly beginning to put pressure on me to write to you and force you into an engagement with Dominique.
I will do nothing of the sort, yet. I must remind you, however, that in today's society, all anyone really cares is that a handsome, intelligent man such as yourself marries a beautiful wife. If she were smart, that would be better, but she is not. Dominique Stairfawn comes with an enormous inheritance, an estate, and her pretty face to parade about on your arm. I know it sounds very crass, but these are the facts. Please, do not completely disregard her, or, if you do, only do it because you have found someone better.
Sincerely,
Signed Father//
Albus read the letter once more, and sighed.
"What is this?" Paulettina snatched it out of his hand, smiling. As she read it, her face fell, "Oh dear. What are you going to do?"
"I am not sure," Albus rumpled his hair, "It seems almost as if there is nothing I can do but refuse. It would not be a complete dishonor, and quite understandable, but Mother and Father..."
"What?"
"They are not as...Forward with their feelings as I am. They are lovable people, but easily taken advantage of by people such as Lord Stairfawn. Dominique is just Lord Stairfawn's pawn to get himself more power. I have seen him with her, and he keeps her dumbed down so that she can not think anything for herself."
"She is beautiful, though, is she not?" Paulettina asked, returning the letter.
Albus took it, and folded it into his breast pocket, "Yes, but I want more than a beautiful wife, Paulettina. I want someone who is smart and clever and not afraid to tell me that she thinks I am a cad, if I am a cad indeed."
"You are never a cad, Albus," Paulettina said gently, "Never."
"I am, just not to you, because you will lecture me for it, and you give the most painful lectures. Worse than Professor Green. However, I can be a cad, and I need a wife who is brave enough to set me in line, for I believe it is the wife who really keeps order in the family. If she has a claim on the husband's affections, she can tell him when something is amiss. I need a girl who can do that, and, even more importantly, I need a girl that I can love. I can not love a porcelain doll."
Paulettina nodded, "Is there someone here, perhaps, that you love?"
Albus rubbed his face vigorously, "Not that I can think of. Do not be cross, dearest, for I hold you in the highest regard, but I do not think I could ever consider you as a wife to me."
"Of course not," Paulettina was very sincere, "That would not be an agreeable situation for our relationship."
"I am so glad you think that," Albus sighed, "...All the girls here are giggly and flirty, and I do not like them very much. I can pretend, but no one here is really, truly honest, and none of them will own their affections, and those who do own my affections for me as well as their own...No, I have yet to meet a girl that really is material to make a wife."
"Are you sure?"
Albus looked at Paulettina, who had a mischievous look on her pretty face. Her eyes darted to the left, towards the other side of the hall, then looked back at Albus, sparkling. Albus was puzzled, and his face wore a puzzled look, as he followed her glance.
It was as though God had thrown down a light on her. He looked past the Ravenclaws and the Slytherins, straight to the Hufflepuff table. There, sitting by herself and looking lost in thought, was Poppy Pomfrey. Her chin was on her hand, her eyes looking up at the ceiling, reflecting the clouds. Albus was transfixed by her image. Poppy Pomfrey was honest, clever, handsome, and respectable.
Poppy suddenly seemed to come to her senses. Her eyes locked with Albus', and she blushed deeply, gathered her things, and left in a flurry.
"Paulettina, you are a genius!" Albus exclaimed. He gently kissed his friend on the forehead, "Thank you. You have saved me."
"Not completely. Now you must write home and tell your father."
"I will do that now," Albus leapt up, and gathered his books of pieces of parchment.
"We have class!" Paulettina called after him.
Albus whirled around, "You are right! I'll do that tonight!"
"Come, Albus," Paulettina stood, finishing the last sentences of the letter she was holding. It was not long, and immediately captured Albus' interest.
"Who is that from?" He asked.
"No one," Paulettina said, folding it quickly, and tucking it in her pocket, "Let us go."
Albus said no more, but he thought he had recognized the hand that had written the letter very well. He also noticed that Nicholas looked very red as they passed him on their way out.
Paulettina would do anything to help her dearest friends out in such a situation, and therefore had to be very honest with herself. Albus, she decided, could use all the help he could get. He had never before seriously courted a girl, and it was important to know a girl's passions and pursuits before trying to please her with anything meaningful. A practical girl would find flowers and bits of poetry redundant and foolish, where as a romantic girl would find disgust in proper conversations and invitations for walks on the lawn.
So, between the first and second lessons of the day, Paulettina stood outside the infirmary and cursed herself. It was not a terrible curse, but it was enough to knock her unconscious for ten minutes. When she woke up, Paulettina was laying on a bed, covered by a blanket, and with a terrible headache.
"Miss Farrows, you are very ill," A gentle voice met her ears, "You will have to rest here for the next two days."
"Oh, no, I will be quite all right, I must attend class," Paulettina replied in a groggy voice.
"I can tell," The voice said, with a bite of sarcasm, "Miss Pomfrey, give her a sleeping draught and let her rest."
"Yes Madame Corlow."
Paulettina felt a goblet being put to her lips, and she drank. Almost immediately, she fell
back onto the pillow in a deep sleep.
When she woke the second time, it was two days later, and she saw by the cards on her nightstand that Albus and Nicholas had been to visit. Besides the cards, there were two enormous bouquets, and sweets. Paulettina smiled.
A rustling sound made her look over. Poppy Pomfrey stood there, a bottle in hand.
"I saw you were awake," She said, "And you must take this medicine."
Poppy spooned the yellow liquid into Paulettina's mouth.
"How are you feeling?" Poppy asked.
"Quite well, Miss Pomfrey, quite well."
"I shall leave you to rest, then," Poppy turned to go.
"No, please, stay, it will become so dull in here without someone to talk to," Paulettina urged, "I have long wanted to make your acquaintance, Miss Pomfrey, after our carriage incident, and after you danced with Mister Dumbledore so much last Saturday."
Poppy immediately became very interested, and took a seat next to Paulettina's bed.
"He speaks very highly of you, in every regard," Paulettina smiled.
"I am sure Mister Dumbledore exaggerates very much with his flattery," Poppy looked very pleased nonetheless.
"Oh no! Not at all!" Paulettina pushed herself up on her pillows, "Quite the opposite! Mister Dumbledore never exaggerates, especially in flattery. He is very arrogant, one of his many faults, and he despises effected or unintelligent people. It seems a dreadful flaw, but you must imagine it from his point of view. One of the most brilliant minds of our time, and he must spend his days with people who are nowhere near his understanding of...Almost anything!"
"I sometimes feel that way," Poppy said, "Though I am sure it is nowhere near the degree
of Mister Dumbledore's, or Mister Flamels'."
"I am not so sure," Paulettina resisted the urge to wink, "For he told me the day after the ball that you were witty, clever, honest, and he thought you to be the handsomest girl in school."
Poppy blushed deeply.
"I have embarrassed you," Paulettina sighed, "I should not have broached such a subject, but I could not help myself. I find that anyone who Albus holds in high regard, the more compelled I am to get to know them."
They were silent for a time, Poppy staring very hard at the wall.
"Mister Dumbledore is a very esteemable man," Poppy said finally, her words constrained.
"He is, more than anyone really knows," Paulettina jumped at the chance to glorify her friend, "Mister Dumbledore loves to tell jokes and he is wonderful to talk to about anything and everything in the world."
Poppy blushed a little and went silent again.
"You know," Paulettina finally said, pulling out her wand, "I should very much like to
draw you. Drawing is one of my favorite things to do, and I often thought you would be an interesting subject."
Poppy looked at her, "Miss Farrows, I am not sure...I have never before sat for a portrait."
"It is not hard," Paulettina said, "Please, would you be so kind as to let me? A simple sketch would do. It would take a quarter of an hour. Possibly less."
"I suppose," Poppy said reluctantly.
Paulettina was delighted with her scheme. She quickly placed Poppy in the room so that a beam of sunlight fell from the window and gave her an angelic look, haloing her face, illuminating her dark curls. Paulettina conjured herself a pad of sketching paper and two pencils, and quickly set about her work. It was not long before she had a portrait that perfectly captured the way the loose curls fell about Poppy's face, or how the slender fingers bent, or the deep-set eyes and the long lashes, or anything that Paulettina thought benefited the lovely girl.
"What does your father say?" Paulettina asked.
"You have returned!" Albus said, enveloping Paulettina in a hug.
"Yes," Paulettina squirmed out, "What does your father say?"
"I have not written him yet. I heard you had turned ill and immediately went to visit you, and my father's letter was put at the back of my mind."
"I am sorry I missed you, but I was given a sleeping draught by Miss Pomfrey and it was quite effective."
Paulettina sat and took in the effect that her simple comment had on Albus. He sat across from her in a red armchair.
"Did you speak at all with Miss Pomfrey?" He asked.
"Yes, I did," Paulettina smiled, "We became very well acquainted, she is a lovely girl. We learned all about each other, for we had six hours of chatting together, you know. She is very honest and modest."
"Indeed."
"She told me all about Wizarding medicine. She plans on taking over Madame Corlow's job when she retires, which, of course will not be for several years after Miss Pomfrey graduates."
"A nurse!" Albus cried, "She would be a well-respected woman indeed were she to take on such a profession!"
Paulettina nodded, "But what I found most charming is how humble she is. She lives a modest lifestyle at her cottage with her family, and she is so lovely, yet she remains very much in reality. She takes pleasure in simple things. She loves wildflowers, especially red and yellow ones, and she adores animals. Her favorite thing to eat in the world is dried cherries. Can you imagine how wonderful? I rarely see the great beauties of the world in such simple things as wildflowers, and they are bountiful on my family's estate, but I always take them for granted. What a shame that we do not have them here during winter, and that dried cherries are unavailable to us, considering the time of year."
Paulettina sighed dramatically, "I must go see our professors, to get the work I missed. I will see you at dinner."
Albus sat for a moment, and, after watching the portrait hole close, ran up to his desk. He sat down, took up a quill, and stuck it in an open ink well. Then he pulled open the drawer to get a piece of parchment, and -
There, laying on top, was a stiff piece of paper with a detailed sketch of a lovely girl on it. Albus smiled, and took it out, making sure not to get fingerprints on it. In the bottom, right-hand corner were the initials P.F. Albus could have kissed Paulettina, had she been there. He set it carefully on his desk and then pulled out parchment. He took his quill and wrote :
//Dearest Mother and Father,
I understand your urgency and your anxiety over this particular matter of my choosing a bride. I think you will be quite relieved to find that I have found a girl here that is a more than decent replacement for Miss Stairfawn. Her name is Poppy Pomfrey, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, and I fear you would love her so much you would never want to let her go. She is handsome, clever, and witty. This is all I can say for now, for I do not know her very well, and have not officially begun to court her. Please, hold off Lord Stairfawn for as long as you can. I will see you at Christmas, and then do the best I can to ward him off as well.
Love,
Signed Albus//
Albus took the picture, and, using a simple charm, made a small copy of it and applied it to the letter, so that there was a picture of Poppy for his parents to see.
Albus ran down to the owlery and immediately sent the letter off.