A/n: I know it's taken me an age to update this story so I will apologise, things have taken an unexpected route in this story so what I had originally planned has gone out of the window. This chapter hasn't been beta read so sorry in advance for any missed mistakes.So here is the next chapter and I would be grateful if you took the time to review after reading it but no pressure!

Chapter Seven: Do you like girls?

It was the day after Albus' run in with the witch you had captured him and he was making his way up the stony path that led to his family home. It was time for his monthly visit to see his mother and once again he wasn't looking forward to barrage of questions that he was likely to face as soon as he stepped through the front door. Her questions and the way that they drove him up the wall was why he only visited her monthly, he couldn't handle the quick fire questions about his personal life or the lack of it. There were times when he would have rather been interrogated by Grindelwald's followers than his mother.

The path was long and winding, the grass boarding the path was overgrown and that told him that Aberforth wasn't keeping an eye on the place as much as he told Albus he was. Albus walked along the path as his own pace, he was in no hurry this morning and the walk was helping him think. He was sure that he had made a break through with the witch in the book shop, he was sure that he had seen her smile and that was enough to think that he was beginning to get into her good books.

"Thank the great Merlin, you're here!" came a voice from in front "Mother has been firing questions at me for a solid hour now!"

Albus looked up and saw his brother, Aberforth stood on the stone steps holding one of his beloved goats on a long lead. The goat was nibbling away on the grass, not aware of anything else going on around it. Albus noticed that he brother was certainly looking ruffled and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of their mother grilling his younger brother, it was about time she inflicted that on Aberforth.

"Smile all you want brother," continued Aberforth "your turn is next and I shall enjoy watching you squirm!"

"Nice to see that you still enjoy seeing me suffer!" replied Albus with a smile. "Why has she been grilling you when that is usually reserved for me?"

"She wants to know about my lady friend," answered Aberforth "and wants me to bring her to tea."

"I was under the assumption that you hadn't got to that stage yet!" said Albus as he reached his brother.

Aberforth moved uncomfortably from foot to foot before speaking again.

"I might have elaborated to mother!" he answered.

Albus chuckled and shook his head; Aberforth's imagination had always landed him in trouble. He had always added a few details here and there and left other details out when telling people things, he usually got found out as well but that never stopped Aberforth when he told he next tale.

"Can you believe," Aberforth continued "she suggested that I get rid of my goats so I could keep the girl! She has no idea how important my girls are to me and my research."

"Can I ask what your research is?" asked Albus, who had never really known what his brother was up to even though he had bailed him out on many an occasion.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you," answered Aberforth with a grin "and you know how I am with a wand!"

"On second thoughts, don't tell me!" added Albus who had been on the receiving end of a few of Aberforth's wand malfunctions "Well lead me to Mother!"

The two brothers walked into the brightly coloured entrance hall for Dumbledore Manor, it had been decorated by their father shortly before his death ten years earlier and had now become a shrine to him and his eccentric ways. Orange and lime green wallpaper hung on the walls and deep red curtains hung at the huge windows, on the walls there were dozens or portraits and muggle artefacts that had been collected over the years. Covering the dark polished oak floorboards were an arrangement of brightly patterned rugs, ranging in different designs and colours. Even Albus found the hallway slightly too much and often felt a headache coming on if he spent too much time in the entrance hall.

They made their way along the corridor till they reached a large door with a golden phoenix doorknob on it. Aberforth pushed the door open and waited for Albus to walk in first, Albus had expected his younger brother to follow him but when he heard the door shut quickly after him, he knew that he was facing his mothers questioning alone.

"Ah my boy!" came a well mannered voice from near the window

Genevieve Dumbledore was sat in a high backed wing chair that had been placed in front of the large bay window that dominated the room, the view from the window was breathtaking because you could see the lake that ran through the estate and the rolling hills in the distance. Genevieve Dumbledore was reaching her hundredth and tenth birthday and didn't look a day past fifty, she had curly red hair with a hint of grey running through it, her eyes were a dark blue with green flecks that were always more pronounced when she had been crying.

"It is good to see you," she continued "its been far too long you know, you must try to come more often. I will have to write to that boss of yours to tell him that he must give you more time off, he works you far to hard."

"Mother," answered Albus "don't write anymore letters on my behalf to Armando, he had enough to deal with at the moment. I am here now."

Albus didn't want his friend and employer to receive a howler from his mother demanding that he give him more time off because it was Albus who chose when he visited his mother, Albus did love his mother dearly but a little of her went along away. He went to sit down in a near by chair and as he was about it sit down and get comfortable, his mother prevented him from doing so.

"Not there," she said, "I can't see you!"

Albus moved along into the next chair that was directly opposite her and sat down, he remained silent as he felt her looking at him.

"You have lost weight," she observed "do you they not feed you enough up at the school of yours?"

"They feed us like kings Mother!" answered Albus

"Clearly like poor kings," she added with a disgruntled sigh "I'll have to talk to that Dippet fellow!"

Albus rolled his eyes and hoped that she didn't see, he had only been there a matter of minutes and she had already threatened to contact Armando twice and he knew his friend wouldn't be happy about that. He had been eating well at Hogwarts, everything he loved was served up at meal times and he picked at his sweet supply through out the day. He wasn't being neglected at all but his mother had always felt differently, she felt that the only place her sons were not neglected was when they were at home.

"Have you heard that your brother has a new friend," she said with an excited giggle "a girl no less. He says she is a real beauty and that she has stolen his heart, he is bringing her around for tea soon. You must be here when she comes, she might have a sister."

"Mother!" warned Albus

"What Albie?" she asked innocently "I just want to see my boys happy! Is that too much to ask for?"

"No mother," he answered "but you can't rush these things!"

"Well you certainly aren't," she retorted "don't you like girls?"

Albus looked at his mother, she was looking at him seriously with her hands in her lap. He had to admit that she had surprised him with that question, he hadn't seen that one coming and he was usually good at judging what was next to come out of her mouth.

"Mother," he answered, "you know perfectly well that I like women, I am just a busy man who hasn't met that special person yet."

"That is another reason of why I need to talk to your boss," she cut in "You need time to meet potential suitors!"

Albus sighed, she never let him finish what he was saying and it always drove him up the wall. If she had continued to listen and not jumped in and threatening to send Armando a third letter then she would probably be a happy woman.

"Mother," he began again "I am working on it!"

"What?" she questioned "Getting more time off work?"

"I have met someone who I would like to get to know better" he explained "we didn't exactly get off on the right footing but I am hoping to bring her around!"

Genevieve lent forward in her chair and looked intently at her eldest son, she was she dreaming. For years now she had been waiting for years for her sons to introduce lady friends to her, she has been aware that they did have a few over the years but they never brought them to see her which hurt her deeply and now today, they had both come to her and told them of potential daughter in laws.

"What did you do?" she asked softly.

"Knocked her off her feet but not in the good way!" he answered, fully ashamed of his actions.

"Oh I despair!" cried Genevieve as she threw her hands up in the air "Albus, that is not the way to meet girls, have you never listened to me!"

Albus looked down at his feet, his mother had always had the power of him to make feel five years old again. His was a grown man with his own life, his own money and his own way of doing things but when it came to his mother, she chose to ignore all that and took it upon herself to run his life. He often argued with her about it but then she would get all tearful and Albus would feel the need to apologise.

"ABERFORTH MAXIMILLIUS DAVID NEWTON DUMBLEDORE!" she called out suddenly.

The door opened a few minutes later and Aberforth popped his head around the door, he looked like he had been caught with his fingers in the cookie jar.

"Come and sit with your brother!" she ordered "I need to talk you about girls!"

TO BE CONTINUED!