Albus' Death
There was a woman that followed Albus wherever he went. She was old, just as old as him, and her eyes twinkled. They had been together for a long time, the two of them. Always together, whatever fate had put it their way. They used to smile and laugh and make jokes together, and sometimes when he was troubled he would talk to her with a sad voice, and she would listen to him and smile a concerned smile. He appreciated her company, was glad that she would listen to him and be there for him. And she was glad in return, that he would let her talk to him and that he enjoyed her company.
When Albus travelled the world the woman used to walk next to him, following him to whatever distant land he ventured. He would point out especially interesting sights for her, and she would comment on them in her silent, whispering voice, so low that no one but him could hear her. They both were astonished at what they saw - the world is such a marvellous place, after all. They never grew tired of each other's company, no matter all the long years they spent together - how could they have been?
There were also troubled times, however, and they would see their friends walk away from them, never to come back. Albus knew that some of his friends had gone because of decisions he had made, or decisions he had failed to make, and it grieved him. Sometimes, when he was tired and sad and the choices he made only seemed to demand more and more sacrifices of him and those he loved, then he would talk to the woman that followed him and inquire if it wasn't his turn to go soon, if he couldn't be allowed to leave his many responsibilities after all the years he had held them. He had lived a long and interesting life, he would say, but it was tiring him, and wasn't it time for him soon to venture on to that next, exciting adventure? But she would only sadly shake her head and say that, no, it wasn't time just yet. Then she would take his hand and talk to him in her soft, whispering voice and remind him of all those astonishing things in the world of colour, all those little miracles each day was brimming with. And he would listen and remember and agree, and his eyes would twinkle yet again, just as her eyes did, and then he would carry on with his duties, because it wasn't his time to leave them just yet. They were always together, Albus and the woman that followed him. All the time until the end.
The woman that followed Albus was his death. She took a step forward that fateful night in the astronomy tower, the night when Albus died, and she took his hand. Together they walked away from the land of colours, travelled together just as they had done so often before, talking to each other with soft, whispering voices, pointing out particularly interesting sights for each other with twinkling eyes. But this time it was the woman who led the way, and Albus who followed. They are both gone now, Albus and the woman who followed him, gone on their last, exciting adventure, and neither will ever come back.