Part Eleven
Thus began the much-disputed, much-debated, much gossiped-about, yet all too obvious courtship of Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey. The first notion of it was that Miss Pomfrey was a deceitful traitor and had stolen his affections away from Miss Patil, her dearest friend. However, that soon got tiring and so everyone simply admired them for being intelligent and respectable, and they spoke of what great fortune Miss Pomfrey would obtain if she married Mister Dumbledore, for he was heir to a large and envied estate and fortune. Those who were acquainted with his family spoke fondly of what little they knew of Drakelane and its many fine attributes.
As much admiration as there was for them, there was, of course, a dark side, as there is to any good thing. There was much more criticism, particularly from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw crowds, being less intimate to details, and therefore more likely to gossip to make up for that. The criticism was mostly directed towards Miss Pomfrey. She was, without a doubt, handsome, and she was tall, and had dark hair and gray eyes, which complimented Mister Dumbledore. But her mouth was too wide for her face, and her neck too long, and she was not stylish enough. But being from the country, one could not expect much of her. The incredible thing was that she actually lived deep in the woods and somehow managed to survive that wild territory. She was hardy and tough, as no young woman of any sort of decent rearing had any right to be.
Besides all of those physical flaws, she had made the grave and irremissible mistake of not being fantastically, unbelievably, disgustingly rich. She lived in a cottage (quaint, no doubt), but her family did not even own a house in town to stay at during the winter! They stayed at the cottage all year long, which was considered a sort of deficiency, and she was snubbed for it. She was a simple country girl, her father made a moderate income, it was no wonder she attached herself to someone rich. Any girl who was handsome and poor would have enough sense to do the same. However, if Albus Dumbledore cared to waste his time on such a girl, that was his choice, surely he would see sense in the end.
Albus Dumbledore was receiving criticism as well, though not in such a way as Poppy Pomfrey was. He reportedly carried around a handkerchief with her initials on it at all times in his breast pocket, and never used it, but had it washed routinely. This was very touching and sentimental, and very foolish. Was he so lacking in manners as to accept such a personal article from someone he had been courting for such a short time? Of course, it had been offered by Miss Pomfrey, so no one could blame Mister Dumbledore, it would be rude to refuse, and ruin her honor. He didn't have to carry it around all the day long, though, so close to his heart? Why, it was simply unthinkable!
Spring came around eventually, and they were seen together, with a great party of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, usually, bowling on the lawn or sitting out in the courtyards, studying. Mary Goshorn, a Hufflepuff, was very musical, and they spent many hours in an inter-house drawing room, with her at the piano and singing. Paulettina Flowers ran about sketching everything she came across, all the people she visited with, and her drawings were admired with much praise by everyone who was so fortunate as to see them.
Paulettina Farrows was another object of discussion. Everyone was well aware of the attachment between herself and Mister Dumbledore. Why did he not court her? He was obviously quite fond of her, and she was pretty and rich, much more so in both cases than Poppy Pomfrey. The most common reason people found for his avoiding her obvious affection towards him was Nicholas Flamel. Mister Flamel obviously had an attachment with Miss Farrows as well, but had never acted upon it, to anyone's knowledge. Perhaps he was promised to someone else, or perhaps Miss Farrows had refused his advances (of which they were certain numbered many).
All in all, it was a lovely courtship. They were a handsome couple, discreet, yet intimate, and both very good dancers. Everyone was swept up in their love (though it had not been declared...Yet), and spoke of how lucky they were to have found each other. The teachers and their wives all sat together on the Saturday night balls and watched them dance. The teachers who were still bachelors were all a bit forlorn for awhile, for they all had had their eye on Miss Pomfrey since the end of her sixth year, and now she was taken, but they would return to the dance floor to dance with one of the other seventh years and forget all about Miss Pomfrey.
One lovely day towards the end of April, Gabriella came into the dormitory with a very haughty look on her face, and smugly sat down next to Poppy, making a big show of it. Poppy immediately felt nervous, for Gabriella had been very cold with her since she and Albus had begun courting.
"How is Mister Dumbledore?" Gabriella asked, taking out her earrings.
"He is very well," Poppy replied, trying once again to get her hair in order.
"Such a pity you took his offer up so quickly, Poppy, for you could have gotten much more for yourself had you waited only a few more weeks."
"Pray, what do you mean?"
"Dearest, dearest Poppy," Gabriella sighed, turning and looking at her, "Professor Lawrence Green informed me that he had long held you in his affections, and would have written a letter of his intentions, had you not run off with Mister Dumbledore."
"Professor Green?" Poppy asked, "He never made any sort of comment that would have suggested his feelings were thus."
"Oh, he is a very discreet man," Gabriella leaned forward, "But he had fancied you for the longest time, and I dare say his heart rather broke when you began your courtship with Mister Dumbledore."
"Why did he disclose this information to you, and not to myself, then, Gabriella?" Poppy asked, keeping her face straight, for she knew Gabriella was trying to intimidate her.
"Well," Gabriella's face took on the smug look again, "Broken hearts heal quickly. He just
informed me of the transfer of his affections from yourself to...Me."
The last word was spoken so lightly, but its effect was monstrous. Poppy dropped her comb and looked over at Gabriella in wide-eyed amazement.
"Has he proposed then?"
"No, we are just beginning our own courtship, though, I daresay it may end in marriage," Gabriella smiled at the look on Poppy's face, "To think you could have had him for your own. He is a very handsome man, you know, and very rich, by his own means, not by inheritance."
"I am quite satisfied with my own conquest," Poppy replied coldly, "And I am very happy for you, dearest Gabriella. However a man may obtain his money is a private matter, and to me, it is no matter at all, for I would own my affections to a man I had vowed to love forever whether he were the king of the world or a beggar in the streets."
Poppy stood and quickly left the dormitory, shutting the door noiselessly behind her.
"There you are!" Albus cried, seeing Poppy, and running over, "How are you?"
"I am very well," Poppy smiled and took his arm, "And yourself?"
"Wonderful, now that you are here," Albus said.
Poppy turned a little pink and they set off on their usual Saturday afternoon walk around the grounds, accompanied, of course, by a house elf by the name of Thempa, who scuttled along behind them. Poppy could not help the fluttering in her stomach. As used to Albus' endless flattery, she still felt foolish and illogical whenever she was around him. She had always felt that way about him, since their first year. Smiling to herself, she remembered that first day of term when she was eleven.
// Poppy hurried with her new friends down to the greenhouses. Her long, curly hair bounced about her shoulders, glinting in the sunlight. Next to her, Gabriella Patil, a rather skinny girl who seemed very spoiled, walked, talking endlessly. Poppy did not pay much attention, only hurried through the greenhouse door.
They joined their fellow Hufflepuffs, all in gray with yellow embroidery and lace. Her attention, however, was immediately drawn to the Gryffindor crowd. They seemed to be a very happy group, for they all had smiles on their faces, and they all were joking and laughing. She liked them very much already. She looked and saw, at the center of the all the attention, a young man with light brown hair. Looking past him, she saw a very pretty girl with dark brown hair and eyes.
Standing just beyond her was another boy that captured Poppy's attention immediately. He was not joking and laughing with the rest of the crowd. He was not sulking or being dull, but examining one of the plants, a rich purple flower with a very long stem. Poppy watched him as he pulled the petals apart with his long fingers. He had bright red hair, and was very tall and skinny. She was captivated by his serious aura, his maturity.
"Albus!" The boy with the light brown hair called.
The red-haired boy turned around. Poppy felt as if her stomach had dropped to the ground. His eyes were the most intense, sparkling, clear blue, the exact color of the sky visible through the glass roof.
"Yes?" He said.
"Come tell everyone about that incident in the dormitory last night!"
Albus moved into the center and began to talk, but not loud enough for Poppy to hear. They were interrupted by the entrance of Professor Parlhod, but for the rest of the day, indeed, the rest of the year, Poppy could not get the vision of that boy out of her head. //
Poppy had watched, in silence, as he grew up. She was an outsider, and she seriously doubted he ever noticed her, even with all the Herbology lessons they had together. He had not become less gangly, though his body had widened a little into a manly broadness. His hair had darkened into a rich auburn color, but his eyes were still just as radiant, just as luminous, and his mind was even more brilliant than ever.
"Are you sure you are all right?" Albus asked, startling Poppy from her thoughts
"Yes," She replied, "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important."
Thus began the much-disputed, much-debated, much gossiped-about, yet all too obvious courtship of Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey. The first notion of it was that Miss Pomfrey was a deceitful traitor and had stolen his affections away from Miss Patil, her dearest friend. However, that soon got tiring and so everyone simply admired them for being intelligent and respectable, and they spoke of what great fortune Miss Pomfrey would obtain if she married Mister Dumbledore, for he was heir to a large and envied estate and fortune. Those who were acquainted with his family spoke fondly of what little they knew of Drakelane and its many fine attributes.
As much admiration as there was for them, there was, of course, a dark side, as there is to any good thing. There was much more criticism, particularly from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw crowds, being less intimate to details, and therefore more likely to gossip to make up for that. The criticism was mostly directed towards Miss Pomfrey. She was, without a doubt, handsome, and she was tall, and had dark hair and gray eyes, which complimented Mister Dumbledore. But her mouth was too wide for her face, and her neck too long, and she was not stylish enough. But being from the country, one could not expect much of her. The incredible thing was that she actually lived deep in the woods and somehow managed to survive that wild territory. She was hardy and tough, as no young woman of any sort of decent rearing had any right to be.
Besides all of those physical flaws, she had made the grave and irremissible mistake of not being fantastically, unbelievably, disgustingly rich. She lived in a cottage (quaint, no doubt), but her family did not even own a house in town to stay at during the winter! They stayed at the cottage all year long, which was considered a sort of deficiency, and she was snubbed for it. She was a simple country girl, her father made a moderate income, it was no wonder she attached herself to someone rich. Any girl who was handsome and poor would have enough sense to do the same. However, if Albus Dumbledore cared to waste his time on such a girl, that was his choice, surely he would see sense in the end.
Albus Dumbledore was receiving criticism as well, though not in such a way as Poppy Pomfrey was. He reportedly carried around a handkerchief with her initials on it at all times in his breast pocket, and never used it, but had it washed routinely. This was very touching and sentimental, and very foolish. Was he so lacking in manners as to accept such a personal article from someone he had been courting for such a short time? Of course, it had been offered by Miss Pomfrey, so no one could blame Mister Dumbledore, it would be rude to refuse, and ruin her honor. He didn't have to carry it around all the day long, though, so close to his heart? Why, it was simply unthinkable!
Spring came around eventually, and they were seen together, with a great party of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, usually, bowling on the lawn or sitting out in the courtyards, studying. Mary Goshorn, a Hufflepuff, was very musical, and they spent many hours in an inter-house drawing room, with her at the piano and singing. Paulettina Flowers ran about sketching everything she came across, all the people she visited with, and her drawings were admired with much praise by everyone who was so fortunate as to see them.
Paulettina Farrows was another object of discussion. Everyone was well aware of the attachment between herself and Mister Dumbledore. Why did he not court her? He was obviously quite fond of her, and she was pretty and rich, much more so in both cases than Poppy Pomfrey. The most common reason people found for his avoiding her obvious affection towards him was Nicholas Flamel. Mister Flamel obviously had an attachment with Miss Farrows as well, but had never acted upon it, to anyone's knowledge. Perhaps he was promised to someone else, or perhaps Miss Farrows had refused his advances (of which they were certain numbered many).
All in all, it was a lovely courtship. They were a handsome couple, discreet, yet intimate, and both very good dancers. Everyone was swept up in their love (though it had not been declared...Yet), and spoke of how lucky they were to have found each other. The teachers and their wives all sat together on the Saturday night balls and watched them dance. The teachers who were still bachelors were all a bit forlorn for awhile, for they all had had their eye on Miss Pomfrey since the end of her sixth year, and now she was taken, but they would return to the dance floor to dance with one of the other seventh years and forget all about Miss Pomfrey.
One lovely day towards the end of April, Gabriella came into the dormitory with a very haughty look on her face, and smugly sat down next to Poppy, making a big show of it. Poppy immediately felt nervous, for Gabriella had been very cold with her since she and Albus had begun courting.
"How is Mister Dumbledore?" Gabriella asked, taking out her earrings.
"He is very well," Poppy replied, trying once again to get her hair in order.
"Such a pity you took his offer up so quickly, Poppy, for you could have gotten much more for yourself had you waited only a few more weeks."
"Pray, what do you mean?"
"Dearest, dearest Poppy," Gabriella sighed, turning and looking at her, "Professor Lawrence Green informed me that he had long held you in his affections, and would have written a letter of his intentions, had you not run off with Mister Dumbledore."
"Professor Green?" Poppy asked, "He never made any sort of comment that would have suggested his feelings were thus."
"Oh, he is a very discreet man," Gabriella leaned forward, "But he had fancied you for the longest time, and I dare say his heart rather broke when you began your courtship with Mister Dumbledore."
"Why did he disclose this information to you, and not to myself, then, Gabriella?" Poppy asked, keeping her face straight, for she knew Gabriella was trying to intimidate her.
"Well," Gabriella's face took on the smug look again, "Broken hearts heal quickly. He just
informed me of the transfer of his affections from yourself to...Me."
The last word was spoken so lightly, but its effect was monstrous. Poppy dropped her comb and looked over at Gabriella in wide-eyed amazement.
"Has he proposed then?"
"No, we are just beginning our own courtship, though, I daresay it may end in marriage," Gabriella smiled at the look on Poppy's face, "To think you could have had him for your own. He is a very handsome man, you know, and very rich, by his own means, not by inheritance."
"I am quite satisfied with my own conquest," Poppy replied coldly, "And I am very happy for you, dearest Gabriella. However a man may obtain his money is a private matter, and to me, it is no matter at all, for I would own my affections to a man I had vowed to love forever whether he were the king of the world or a beggar in the streets."
Poppy stood and quickly left the dormitory, shutting the door noiselessly behind her.
"There you are!" Albus cried, seeing Poppy, and running over, "How are you?"
"I am very well," Poppy smiled and took his arm, "And yourself?"
"Wonderful, now that you are here," Albus said.
Poppy turned a little pink and they set off on their usual Saturday afternoon walk around the grounds, accompanied, of course, by a house elf by the name of Thempa, who scuttled along behind them. Poppy could not help the fluttering in her stomach. As used to Albus' endless flattery, she still felt foolish and illogical whenever she was around him. She had always felt that way about him, since their first year. Smiling to herself, she remembered that first day of term when she was eleven.
// Poppy hurried with her new friends down to the greenhouses. Her long, curly hair bounced about her shoulders, glinting in the sunlight. Next to her, Gabriella Patil, a rather skinny girl who seemed very spoiled, walked, talking endlessly. Poppy did not pay much attention, only hurried through the greenhouse door.
They joined their fellow Hufflepuffs, all in gray with yellow embroidery and lace. Her attention, however, was immediately drawn to the Gryffindor crowd. They seemed to be a very happy group, for they all had smiles on their faces, and they all were joking and laughing. She liked them very much already. She looked and saw, at the center of the all the attention, a young man with light brown hair. Looking past him, she saw a very pretty girl with dark brown hair and eyes.
Standing just beyond her was another boy that captured Poppy's attention immediately. He was not joking and laughing with the rest of the crowd. He was not sulking or being dull, but examining one of the plants, a rich purple flower with a very long stem. Poppy watched him as he pulled the petals apart with his long fingers. He had bright red hair, and was very tall and skinny. She was captivated by his serious aura, his maturity.
"Albus!" The boy with the light brown hair called.
The red-haired boy turned around. Poppy felt as if her stomach had dropped to the ground. His eyes were the most intense, sparkling, clear blue, the exact color of the sky visible through the glass roof.
"Yes?" He said.
"Come tell everyone about that incident in the dormitory last night!"
Albus moved into the center and began to talk, but not loud enough for Poppy to hear. They were interrupted by the entrance of Professor Parlhod, but for the rest of the day, indeed, the rest of the year, Poppy could not get the vision of that boy out of her head. //
Poppy had watched, in silence, as he grew up. She was an outsider, and she seriously doubted he ever noticed her, even with all the Herbology lessons they had together. He had not become less gangly, though his body had widened a little into a manly broadness. His hair had darkened into a rich auburn color, but his eyes were still just as radiant, just as luminous, and his mind was even more brilliant than ever.
"Are you sure you are all right?" Albus asked, startling Poppy from her thoughts
"Yes," She replied, "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important."