CHAPTER 1
Eleven years later
January 1991
Whistling away his merriment and enjoying the peacefully cold corridors, January was one of the few times when Albus Dumbledore could enjoy an uninterrupted walk through the castle corridors. It was a rarity that the Headmaster got such unfettered access to his own school, but thankfully the classes were underway and in such biting cold students preferred to stay inside rather than loitering. Such a shame because the cold itself had the capacity to clear one's mind, he thought happily.
And clearing he needed, for it was a norm that too many things always kept Albus's mind busy, mostly it was the headache of finding a new Defence teacher every single year, and now that the rumour was well established, since generations passed made up of the prime candidates, not many were willing to apply. If it was not this, then there was some matter at the Ministry- particularly the Minister of Magic, or the Wizengamot, an incident or twelve that were daily occurrences in the Potions classroom and numerous other things concerning the running of his school. And truth be told, Albus preferred the lack of idleness, it gave him something else to ponder on.
"pumpkin pasties" he told the gargoyle and entered the spiral staircase.
His office was a cozy place, with plenty of chintz covered chairs and less intimidating furniture unlike that of his predecessors, little bits and bobs that gave it a rather whimsical appearance and over the time Albus had taken measures to make it less daunting for the students that had the misfortune to be sent his way. But it was the portraits of the Headmasters of past that made every effort useless, with their haughtiness, glares and stern remarks to the already scared pupils. Nodding at the said portraits, he made his way over to the desk, sighing blissfully as he lowered into his exceptionally soft chair. But comfort was overlooked, as a customary sweep of the few trinkets and gadgets sitting on his desk made him alert to an absence. Looking under the table he found one topsy turvy, its sharp pyramid head embedded in the wood and tiny golden legs working furiously, as if trying to make a run for it. Albus could only deduce one situation.
His previous state of calm vanished replaced by a sense of urgency as he looked sharply at his pet, Fawkes, the phoenix. Dark eyes glinted in understanding and Fawkes gave a sharp cry and spread his impressive crimson and gold wings, flew right above Albus and then, in a flash of fire, both were gone.
"honestly, the man could have a care of telling his whereabouts. Irresponsible lad!" complained Brutus Scrimgeour loudly from his portrait and the other agreed fervently.
…..
A few hours earlier
It was grey, dark for twelve in the afternoon but since it was basically a snowstorm, it was expected. Donned top to toe in thick winter wear, hands shoved deep in the pockets and head swiveling back and forth, almost desperately, Addy looked through her snow covered eyelashes.
"Leo!" she shouted but other than the eerie silence that accompanied the falling of the snow, no mewling could be heard.
Drat that cat for running away! If only the little demon had not been so sneaky, Addy would have been having a somewhat normal day. But who was she kidding, she was Addy Green, nothing about her was normal.
For the first three years of her life Addy had stayed at St. Williams- an orphanage and truth be told, she hardly recalls it. What she does remember is the kind face of her Great Aunt Meredith Green. Aunt Meredith, was a nun who renounced her ways and married Uncle Steven, never had children. More tragedy struck when Uncle Steven, only thirty years of age, and who worked as a lumberjack, died when a tree fell on him. Aunt Meredith never remarried and preferred to make woolens and sell from her house, a quaint little cottage in a little town located in Shropshire.
Aunt Meredith remained a recluse for the next fifty years, hardly leaving her house and the town folk being kind, helped the old maid with supplies at the doorstep. Seven years ago, Aunt Meredith was contacted when her great niece was found in an orphanage, and being the kind lady that Aunt Meredith is, she took the little girl in and gave her a home.
Aunt Meredith cared a lot for Addy, she cooked and cleaned, homeschooled her, taught her to be polite and kind. Addy learnt quite early that the people of their small intimate town looked at her with curiosity. Well, they were an odd pair, Aunt Meredith with her charming affable air and kind blue eyes and Addy, sullen and aloof with dark penetrating gaze that seemed to be suspicious of everybody around them. Aunt Meredith, despite living reclusively warmly acknowledged anybody who would show up at her door, be it humans or animals. Yes, animals… birds flew and chirped away in the spring perching themselves on the trees in the backyards, squirrels, stray dogs and cats. Sometimes, Addy would even catch owls flying in the daytime towards Aunt Meredith in the daytime. Oddly the first time when Addy went to investigate that occurrence, she found her Aunt talking to the owl sweetly and it nipping her fingers affectionately. Her Aunt was a creature affectionado!
Addy herself liked animals. She liked the pure and clear intentions, all they wanted was affection and food. Therefore she did not mind even cleaning after them. Currently, they were housing a dog and two cats, a squirrel and two owls. At nights, they all would sit in the living room, fire blazing merrily in the fireplace, the little television showing the recent episode of Doctor Who, Addy enraptured by the tv and stroking the squirrel gently on her lap while Aunt Meredith's gaze fixed on the tv and hands furiously knitting away, the cats and dog lazing on the rug in front of the fire, the owls sleeping with their heads tucked under their wings perch on the coat rack which now acted as the official perch. Life was really nice! But their idyllic life came to screeching halt one night when Aunt Meredith stumbled on the ball of yarn, slipped and fell, breaking her hip in the process.
They came to London for the surgery that was required and Aunt Meredith called up an old friend. Odette Smith went a long way with Aunt Meredith, and immediately pitched in, taking in Addy and the animals for the time it would have taken Aunt Meredith to recover.
Unbeknownst to Aunt Meredith, who lay in the hospital, past her recovery period, battling infection after infection, Odette Smith had very soon and very conveniently passed Addy and her entourage off to an acquaintance for the remaining of the recovery period. Odette lived with her daughter and two grandsons and their house was just not big enough for Addy and the animals.
After the security of the only home Addy had ever known, she was now being passed off as a parcel. Odette, the shrew, at least had the decency to take her to the hospital every week. Any complaints or the truth about her stay withered on Addy's lips when she first saw the weakened state of her Great Aunt, the grey pallor practically shouting out the deterioration. So Addy did the only thing, she smiled and talked to her Great Aunt, and hid the truth, not that she could blame Odette. Who would keep a ten year old and seven pets?
Oh, make that eleven, because as of today, while the snow fell thickly and the streetlights turned on right in the afternoon, Addy turned eleven.
Some birthday though, Addy though bitterly, hating every cold second that passed. She could have been inside and warm but Leo who had been meowing quite furiously since the morning made an escape as soon as the front door opened and Addy was left with no choice. Animals were supposed to be smart, she thought, they were supposed to bask in the warmth by the fireplace, not gallivant in a snowstorm.
"LEO!" Addy shouted at the top of her lungs in frustration.
"Who is Leo?" came from her left loudly, startling her quite terribly.
Turning in the direction of the voice Addy saw it was from a figure standing just about a few steps away. Almost the same height as hers, wrapped in an assortment of clothes, with only partially fogged up spectacles visible from underneath a too large wooly cap that had threads sticking out, he looked like a cloth wrapped stick on wellies and was that a shovel?
No one in their right minds would be out in this weather, except for Addy and the boy who shoveled snow in the snowstorm. Perfect!
"why are you shoveling snow when it is snowing?" Addy blurted out. If he was taken aback he did not show. He shrugged.
"I have to salt the drive…best to do it before it turns to ice"
Addy frowned. Though it was the sensible thing but Addy thought that Aunt Meredith would never let Addy out in the snow to do chores. Maybe he got paid for it otherwise no one in their right mind would agree to this.
"so, who is this Leo you were shouting about?"
"my cat. Have you seen him? He is black and utterly stupid for running out and making me chase him!" Addy asked angrily. The boy was looking at her curiously.
"you are not from here" the statement was met with an eyeroll from Addy.
"of course I'm not from here!"
"so where are you from?" he countered
"that is none of your business"
"it is, since I'm the one whom you asked about your cat and the only one outside who can actually help you look."
Addy hated that smug look on his face and also hated the fact that he was right. She was new and he seemed to have lived here so he could help her, and drat that blasted cat!
"I'm from Shropshire"
"What are you doing here?" he asked hurriedly and Addy glared at him.
"listen… I'm looking for my cat because right now it is as homeless as me, because my Great Aunt is in London recovering from her surgery. Her friend couldn't keep me and my pets so she asked the old lady that lives right at the end to take us in. It is snowing and I know my cat isn't well, it has not eaten and seems to be in pain, so do you know where it went?"
His eyes widened in alarm.
"oh…er… I didn't know… come, I'll take you to there" he quietly muttered, and abruptly turned and started crossing the street and into the house right opposite his.
"I saw it go towards the back, probably went into the shed" he said over his shoulder and Addy followed him.
Now that he was helping her, Addy realized that she should not have said those things so forcefully. If Aunt Meredith were her Addy would have immediately been reprimanded, audience or no. And the boy was helping her in such a terrible weather. Well, maybe she should first see her cat and then apologize. He could end up shoving her in the snow!
The door to the shed was slightly open and Addy followed the guy in.
"Leo?" she murmured and was ecstatic when a low meow came in reply. Suddenly the dark shed was bathed in light as the boy pulled the string of the single bulb that was hanging from the ceiling.
And then they froze!
There right in front of them, was Leo the cat, black as night, lying on an old jute doormat with three tiny black blobs. Oh Dear God!
"er… seems like Leo is a girl" he muttered to himself, scratching his head.
Addy could say the same for her. She too thought that Leo was a boy. And kittens! Aunt Meredith would have kittens when she'll hear about this, Addy thought as she waited for it to sink in. To look on the bright side, Addy found Leo even though Leo turned out to be a girl who just had babies, she was safe. And that was all that mattered.
Right. Time to take them home. But how? She may have mumbled that out loud because the boy seemed to reach something behind them and brandished a lidded box.
Addy looked at the boy and realized that he was looking at her with the same kindness that Aunt Meredith had.
And she felt horrible.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have shouted at you" Addy saw the guy blink, and before he could protest and before she could change her mind, Addy reached into her pocket and pulled out the bar of chocolate that Aunt Meredith had given to her for her birthday.
"I want you to have this. It's a thank you for helping me and Leo and her babies!"
He looked at the bar of chocolate with wonder, as if surprised to see chocolate. When Addy shook her hand in insistence, he hesitantly reached forward to take it, and almost reverently placed it inside his piles of clothes. As if he heard something, his head jerked and his eyes snapped towards his home. Addy also looked and saw a blonde woman standing on her front door, looking up and down the street.
"gotta go! See you around!" and without so much ado he was gone.
Addy quickly shrugged of her jacket and put it inside the box. Leo who had been watching silently was suddenly alert when Addy picked up the first baby and when Leo realized what Addy was doing, agilely jumped and settled herself between the tiny furballs that had started mewling now that they had been momentarily separated from their mother.
"just for a little while Leo and then we'll be home" she assured the cat who looked at Addy with its lamp like eyes, but didn't fuss when the lid was put on.
Cold seeped into every pore of her body but Addy was determined to quickly reach home. So she clenched her teeth to stop them from chattering, tucked in her elbows and hunched over the box, in order to ward off the cold or protect the box, we'll never know, because as soon as Addy reached the main street, she ran straight into someone.
Had they not held her shoulders in a firm grip, Addy was sure she would have fallen back on her backside. When she looked up, her mouth however did fall open at the most peculiar man she had ever seen.
He wore a magenta velvet suit with a yellow scarf beneath a dark green travelling coat. His heeled boots completely unnecessary as he was already so tall, his white as the snow falling on them hair long, just as long and snowy as his beard which he had conveniently tucked into his belt. But it was the crooked nose on which sat the half moon spectacles that did nothing to hide the blue eyes that held a mischievous twinkle.
"Well hello there!"