The dawn light trickled through the windows and covered the empty hall with its pale honey color, freed, at last, to fill the castle as it wished. It was summer and two months of ruling the school lay ahead. As if finally realizing this, the light strengthened and stretched out into the dusky corners. It melted over the dust in the air and awoke the sleeping portraits on the walls.
One of the portraits – an old man with his hat on backwards – yawned obtusely and turned his head at the subtle swishing of a cloak.
"Good morning, headmaster," he called out cheerily.
"Good morning, Campbell," replied Dumbledore serenely as he went by, his long violet robe stirring up the light.
Several other portraits, taking Campbell's lead, bid the headmaster 'morning' as he passed. He smiled and none of them noticed that his mind was elsewhere. His blue eyes flickered towards the windows facing the school's lake. His feet carried him down a flight of stairs to the ground floor. A breeze ruffled his beard; the main doors had been left propped open to help air out the castle before it was locked up for the summer holidays.
Dumbledore strode through the doors and onto the grass. He paused for a moment to kick off his shoes, then continued barefoot in a straight path towards the lightly sanded shore. He swooped smoothly down, picked up a stone, and in one fluid motion sent it skipping out across the water.
Schli-schli-schli-schli-
And a tentacle shot up from the lake to grab the stone mid-skip. It disappeared beneath the water only to be replaced by the copper-colored head of the giant squid. Dumbledore smiled and took a few steps into the lake. It had been too long.
Love certainly was a mysterious thing.