Torn Between Brothers

A/N: This chapter didn't turn out how I expected it to. It was meant to flow in a completely different direction but then it took a dramatic turn to the left and this is what happened. Hope you like it. Many thanks to Ang to beta reading this chapter.

Chapter Three: Manners!

Albus looked down where the voice was coming from and saw a pair of emerald green eyes looking up at him. They didn't seem to convey much happiness and flashed with annoyance. He had picked up a soft Scottish accent when she spoke as she hit the ground in a flash of crimson robes. It seemed to him that everything was happening in slow motion. He felt like he was watching her fall but unable to stop it from happening. He was so transfixed on the emerald orbs that he barely registered that he was being spoken until Armando placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Albus, you manners," he urged in a whisper.

Armando was surprised that Albus didn't seem to be overly aware of the situation and had felt the need to encourage good relations before the witch on the ground hexed his friend into the next year.

"Merlin, I am sorry," said Albus breaking out if his trance and offering his hand. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"That much is obvious," came the reply from the ground. "Might I suggest that next time you do? I would think that it was common courtesy to look both ways before stepping out of a shop into a busy street where people are obviously in a hurry."

The hand gesture from Albus was ignored and the woman stood up herself. She brushed herself down and sighed in frustration. Never in her time on this planet had she come across someone so rude and dismissive before. She was sure that if his friend hadn't said something to him, he would have walked off without saying a word. She could feel his eyes on her and it unnerved her. She felt like drawing her wand from her pocket and letting him know exactly what she thought of rude people like himself but she managed to control herself.

"You appeared out of nowhere," replied Albus.

"I hardly think I would apparate to this particular spot, do you?" she snapped with annoyance.

"I didn't say that," said Albus, who hadn't taken his eyes off the woman before him since they had bumped into each other. "I am very sorry. Are you okay?"

"Do I look it?" she asked.

Albus wanted to say that she did look utterly enchanting with her rosy cheeks and slightly ruffled long, ebony coloured hair but he felt it was the wrong situation to say that. She was beautiful despite being angry at him. Albus was sure he had never come across such a goddess before but he dearly wished that it had been under better circumstances.

"Is there anyway I can make up for my rudeness?" questioned Albus who hoped that she would accept his offer.

"Yes," she replied "you could get out of my way so I can continue with what I came here to do."

The bite of her words stung him slightly. He hadn't expected her to comment like that but he stepped aside and watched as she swept past him. He continued to watch her make her way through the crowds. He hoped she would look back and just as he gave up hope, he saw her head turn. She looked back over her shoulder at him and nearly collided with another wizard. Albus smiled to himself and nodded his head. He hoped that he would see her again and he wanted to make sure it was on better terms. The fact that she had glanced behind her had to mean something good.

"Well that's one way of getting a woman to throw herself at you," Armando commented with a smile.

"Wasn't she enchanting?" mused Albus.

"She was angry at you Albus," replied Armando with a shake of his head. "I hardly think she was at her loveliest."

"But Armando if she is that beautiful when angry," said Albus "imagine what she looks like when she isn't."

Armando looked at his friend with raised eyebrows. He had never heard his friend in all the years he had known him talk about a woman in such a manner. Albus had always seemed to shy away from women and had told Armando that he did that to wind up his mother. There had to be something in the air with both Dumbledore brothers finding women that they both wanted to find out more about.

"Why don't we go in that direction." Albus suggested, pointing to the direction the emerald-eyed witch had swept away to.

"Albus, you are behaving like your brother!" replied Armando who had no desire to chase after an angry witch all afternoon, despite her beauty. "We have our sweets so let's head back up to Hogwarts. I believe you have paperwork waiting for you."

Armando was grasping at straws when he mentioned paperwork to Albus. He knew that his friend needed a break from it but chasing after a witch that clearly wasn't impressed by him was not a good idea. Albus was still staring down the road, his hands in his pockets and a dreamy expression on his face. Armando was beginning to think it was a bad idea to have brought Albus into town today.

"Come on Albus," urged Armando "we have sweets to eat."

"I suppose you are right Armando," agreed Albus finally as he turned to face his friend. "I do hope to bump into her again."

"Not literally I hope," added Armando as the two friends began to walk back towards Hogwarts.

"I want to make a better impression," Albus answered. "She seemed very articulate to me. Don't you think? And those eyes! You could lose yourself in them."

"I think you did," said Armando. "If I hadn't stepped in and prodded you she would still be sitting on the ground."

Albus had been surprised at his rudeness. He should have insisted on helping her up as soon as she had fallen but he had been so transfixed by her eyes that he had lost time for a moment. He wondered if she had any veela in her blood but then veelas had never affected Dumbledore men since the days of Great Uncle Amos. A veela had enchanted Amos many years ago and when his wife found out, she cast a series of charms on him to prevent it from happening again and that had somehow been passed down through the family.

Albus had never felt so attracted to someone before. He wondered if his sudden change in himself was down to the fact that Aberforth had found someone. Maybe it was his heart, mind and body telling him that it was time to settle down and love. The only thing Albus knew was that he needed to make a better impression. He needed to see her again and make her understand that he was not rude and ignorant.

TBC…