Albus Dumbledore and the Everlasting Flame

by Grandson of Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore returns to Hogwarts for his second year. A major competition is going on at Hogwarts this year and Albus finds himself embroiled in another mystery. But will his growing magical abilities be enough to see him through?

2. Crossing Paths Diagon Alley

Albus Dumbledore and the Everlasting Flame

Disclaimer: this is a work of fan fiction based on the worlds created by JK Rowling

"Friends are the essence of life"

August 31, 1853

Chapter 2 – Crossing Paths Diagon Alley

Albus was dreaming about a beam of blinding white light, issuing from a dark chasm surrounded by sheets of gleaming metal. He stood in front of it as if entranced. The light seemed to burn through him, warming him, keeping him alive. It was as though the very essence of life came from that dark chasm, like a gift spurting forth from the heart of the earth. The light was magical, Albus could tell. It was so magical that Albus felt like a muggle in its presence. He thought to himself, if only I could tap this magic … how powerful I could become …

Albus sat bolt upright. His head hurt. He could not remember what he had been dreaming about but he knew that he had just had a thought worthy of a Slytherin. It was the realization that he had been thinking like a Slytherin that brought him out of his slumber. He racked his brains, trying to remember what the dream had been about, but it was to no avail. The memory of the dream had disapparated.

He sank back into the comforting embrace of his feather-down pillow and closed his eyes. He could hear the faint sound of Mars breathing in the bunk bed above him, and the soft croon of Fawkes as his phoenix slumbered by the window. Albus' father had conjured a bunk bed in Albus' room for the duration of Mars' visit, and Albus had finally saved up enough money (large parts of it a product of his brother Aberforth's nefarious schemes at Hogwarts) to purchase a mahogany stand for Fawkes to sleep on. Last year, Albus had planted an Everliving Oak in the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts for Fawkes to live in, but while he was staying at home in Wales he preferred to have the phoenix sleeping in his room. Fawkes had become so accustomed to the stand that he rarely left it, spending much of the day in doleful slumber.

'Rise and shine, boys,' called Lubo from the doorway. Albus sat up again and squinted through the sleep in his eyes. His mother glowed like a Veela; sunlight pouring through Albus' window where she had conjured the curtains open with her wand. Lubo Dumbledore had pure white hair running all the way down her back, twinkling blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She was quite beautiful, and Albus was more proud of her than anyone or anything other than his father.

'What is the time?' asked Albus. 'Do we have to rise already?'

'Yes you do, my little Fizzing Whizzbee,' Lubo said, smiling. 'We are headed for Diagon Alley, should you care to remember. Get up and we shall breakfast together first.'

'Very well,' Albus said, only half grumbling. He stumbled out of his bed while Lubo disapparated to the dining room. The Dumbledore mansion was sufficiently expansive to warrant apparating from place to place, although Albus was technically forbidden to flaunt his mastery of such technical magic, so he had to walk everywhere. That is, apart from when nobody was looking.

Albus dressed in his favourite purple robes with yellow stars, much like the dress his mother was wearing today. He noticed that Mars had not budged an inch. His mouth was open and his tongue was partly hanging out like a puppy dog. His eyes were visibly moving underneath his eyelids. Albus wondered what dream Mars was having. As he did so, his brain came up with an interesting way of rousing his friend. He picked up his wand from where it lay on his floor.

'Aquana!' said Albus. A jet of water shot out of the tip of his wand in Mars' direction. Except, Albus missed and the water hit one of the ancient maps plastered to Albus' wall. He hurriedly scourgified the water, hoping that he had not smudged the outline of Transylvania on the map "The Whereabouts of Vampyres". He said to himself, 'boyo, I am out of practice. Professor Prewett will not be happy with my wandwork.'

He tried again, 'Aquana!' This time the jet of water was sweetly struck. It hit Mars right in his open mouth. Mars fell out of the bunk bed, landing with a weighty thud on the floor. He spluttered and choked, spitting out a whole mouthful of water. His green eyes were wide and panicky, and with his brown hair on end, Mars really did look like a puppy dog.

'What happened!' he cried. 'How … what …?'

By now Albus was rolling around on the floor in gales of mirth. He pounded the carpet with his fists, tears streaming down his face.

'That was the funniest thing I have ever seen!' Albus giggled. 'I got you in the mouth but I never thought you'd fall out of bed as well!'

'What … you …' Mars began. Comprehension dawned on his brown face (both Mars and Albus had attained healthy suntans in Egypt). Mars' green eyes began to burn. He growled, 'you shot a jet of water into my mouth, did you?'

'Yes!' Albus exclaimed, bursting into another torrent of laughter.

'Right,' Mars said, steeling himself on all fours. Albus was too busy giggling to appreciate what was about to happen. Mars bounded forward, wrestled Albus' wand from his grip and started tussling with him on the floor. The boys whooped and laughed as they fought for physical supremacy. Both being rather small and scrawny, the battle was evenly matched. Mars had the upper hand from the outset, but Albus managed to grab him by the throat, an act of vandalism that had Mars seeing red. 'You are cheating!' he cried.

'Never!' responded Albus valiantly. He reached up with his other hand and started tickling Mars under the armpit. This tactic worked a charm, and Mars was soon howling with a combination of ticklishness and pain at being defeated.

'You are a rotten, scumbag, cheat,' Mars concluded once the battle was ended and his tears of laughter were drying up. 'Only a true Slytherin would behave in such a manner.'

'Is that so?' Albus said. 'Well it was a rather Slytherinish thing to do, to tackle me when I was busy laughing. Not to mention that you stole my wand.'

'I thought that was a clever tactic,' Mars protested. 'More like Ravenclaw, if you ask me.'

'And you sleep like a Hufflepuff,' Albus added. 'You really do not belong in Gryffindor after all.'

'How do I sleep like a Hufflepuff?' Mars said. 'That is an absurd statement! You snore like a ruddy muggle, anyway, so who are you to talk?'

'At least my tongue does not hang out …' Albus began, but Lubo had apparated into his bedroom with a loud pop.

'If you two are quite finished trading insults,' Lubo said serenely, 'you can join us for breakfast before we decide to go to Diagon Alley without you. Get dressed, Mars, and tidy up your pigsty Albus! It is a mess!'

She disapparated again; leaving the two boys staring at one another.

'Do not look at me like that,' Albus said. He flushed red at being told off by his mother in front of his friend. Mars could not help himself. He burst out laughing again. Albus could do no less than join in. They continued to giggle while Mars dressed into his green robes and Albus tried vaguely to conjure a few of his possessions back to their places in different drawers and cupboards. He remarked, 'my spell-work really is out of touch. I have not practiced nearly enough these holidays.'

'Your spell-work is out of touch!' Mars exclaimed. 'Your spell-work is better now than my spell-work was during term time! Professor Prewett will surely cook me for breakfast!'

'Now that would be a sight,' Albus grinned. 'I bet you taste terrible too.'

'Shut up, Albus,' Mars said, 'and let us get something to eat before they leave us behind.'

Two bowls of steaming porridge, four helpings of plum tart and a generous dollop of cream from the Dumbledore house elf Nibs later, and they were on their way by Floo powder to Diagon Alley. Mars and Albus were followed out of the fireplace by Aberforth and Lubo. Archaeon had business elsewhere and had chosen not to join them. Aberforth was now quite as tall as his mother. About to begin his fourth year at Hogwarts, he was fourteen and quite scrawny. This probably had something to do with his illicit use of Quick-gro potion. Aberforth could be quite a handy wizard if he put his mind to it.

'First stop, Flourish and Blotts,' Lubo said, consulting the list of supplies that Hogwarts had sent for her two sons. 'I believe it is a brand new bookstore on Diagon Alley. Quincy Flourish and Nancy Blotts are quite famous authors themselves, and something of a celebrity couple here in the Alley.'

Lubo was speaking more to herself than to the boys. Mars, on the other hand, was looking quite disconcerted. He seemed to hesitate for several moments before venturing to speak.

'Are we not going to fetch money first?' he said. His voice was quivering. 'I really ought to go to the bank myself, school-things are expensive.'

'Oh, your mother sent a bag of galleons by owl last night,' Lubo said. 'Do not fret, my dear.'

Lubo headed down Diagon Alley, the three boys in tow. Albus noticed that she carried herself with some regality, bystanders often turning to stare at her magnificent white hair and glowing face. Mars hung close to Albus, speaking in low tones.

'What about you?' Mars asked. 'Do you not have to fetch money from Gringotts?'

'Oh, no,' Albus said. 'I do not think my father has ever invested with the goblins. It is not that he does not trust them. No, I think my father just has better magic to protect our galleons than Gringotts does.'

'Better magic than Gringotts!' Mars exclaimed. 'Boy, he must be some wizard.'

'Yes, he is,' Albus said, smiling proudly.

'Look!' Aberforth intruded suddenly. 'It is the Jones brothers outside Quality Quidditch Supplies.'

Sure enough, three scruffy, blonde, blue eyed Welsh boys of varying heights were standing, noses pressed against the glass, in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies. The tallest was Thomas Jones, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Prefect, now entering his sixth year. The smallest was Davey, a Hufflepuff in Albus' and Mars' year who had defeated the first year bully Noxious Black in a duel (with a little help from Albus). The third was Gareth, a Ravenclaw entering his fourth year like Aberforth.

Davey gave Albus and Mars a wave and scurried over to say hello. Aberforth stood aside and started talking to Gareth. Thomas paid no attention at all to the arrival of the Dumbledores, and remained transfixed by something in the window of the shop.

'How are you doing?' Davey said, grinning madly. 'Did you have a good time in Egypt?'

'Yes we did,' Albus said.

'It was the best!' Mars said.

'We missed you this summer,' Davey said. 'Quidditch is never as fun with three as it can be with five … or six!'

'I know,' Albus said. 'I have not held a broom for a month; I would bet a galleon I cannot even fly anymore.'

'We all know that is not true,' Thomas said, wandering over from the window. He had managed to unglue his nose from the glass. They all knew that it was not true because Albus had shown brilliant flying ability in helping Gryffindor to win a crucial Quidditch match against Slytherin last year, when the Gryffindor Seeker Jonathan Glastonbury had been absent injured (by the Slytherin Housemaster, no less).

'Hello Thomas,' Albus said, a little shyly. Albus held the Prefect and Quidditch Captain in high regard. 'What is in the shop that has you so interested?'

'You have been out of the country, so you would not have heard,' Thomas said. 'The Quidditch League has gone professional. You know how, in sixteen seventy four, they formed the League, and they have been playing for pride since then? Well, now they are playing for galleons as well! The whole thing has been made professional; there are team uniforms and all sorts of things for sale!'

'Really!' yelled Mars and Albus together. They rushed for the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. To their sheer delight, they saw rows of brand new team uniforms, stacks of magazines and boxes full of cards.

'Collector's items,' Thomas explained over their shoulders. 'There are thirteen teams in all. The Caerphilly Catapults represent Wales. They are the striped green and scarlet uniforms. If you look in the collectors' cards boxes, you might be able to find a Dangerous Dai Llewellyn card, but I am told it is very rare.'

'This is just marvelous,' Mars said. His voice was dripping with desire but, like the Jones brothers, he knew that a glass window stood between them and the Quidditch items.

'Tell you what,' Albus said, well aware that none of his friends were particularly well-to-do, 'I will go in there and buy a whole box of cards. We will share them out between us without looking at them, so whoever gets lucky will get the good ones.'

Without letting any of the Jones boys try and stop him from being charitable, Albus swept into the shop and bought a box of collectors' cards. He returned outside and starting doling out cards face down. The Jones brothers and Mars stood with their palms face up, eying the cards greedily.

'Well, well, well,' drawled a familiar voice. Albus looked up to see the sullen face of Noxious Black, the son of the now deposed Headmaster of Hogwarts, and arguably the most rotten member of Slytherin House. Noxious leered at the Jones brothers and Mars, all four of whom were clutching a handful of brand new cards, and said, 'so the paupers have to rely on the great Albus Dumbledore for charity. Now is that not something?'

'I would have thought,' Albus said, giving Noxious his most piercing look, 'that after your father disgraced himself and the family name Black, that you would never show your face again.'

'My father is still highly thought of at the Ministry,' Noxious snorted. 'Your own father did not have the guts to take him to the Wizengamot, so nobody knows what happened last year.'

'Except the whole school,' Thomas said. 'Everyone heard about your father trying to bring a dark wizard back to life and having his life saved by a first year.'

'Nobody believes schoolyard gossip,' Noxious spat back, although it sounded very much to Albus like a line rehearsed or parroted from his father. 'Besides, I do not see Mr. Dumbledore or Mr. Jones or Mr. McGonagall having dinner with the Minister for Magic.'

'Oh stop your gloating and get out of here,' Albus said.

'Well, actually, I am,' Noxious said with a strangely happy smile. 'With the Tournament on this year, I plan to make connections with a foreign school and hopefully, by Christmas, yours truly will be getting educated somewhere better than Hogwarts.'

'Tournament?' said Mars and Albus together. Both looked equally surprised and Noxious met the realization that neither knew what he was talking about with glee.

'You do not know?' he laughed. 'Ah, poor neglected fools. I pity you.'

And with a flick of his preened black hair, Noxious Black strutted off.

'What tournament?' Albus said urgently, turning to Thomas. As a Prefect, he would know about something like this.

'Oh, the Triwizard Tournament,' Thomas said. 'It is held every four or five … or seven years, depending on how many people died the last time. I think two died in eighteen forty eight, so it has been five years since the last one was held. This year it is being held at Hogwarts, so it should be an interesting year.'

'What is the Triwizard Tournament?' Mars asked. Albus, having read all of Hogwarts – A History, was able to venture an answer.

'It is a competition between the best wizards or witches from three of the best schools in Europe,' Albus explained. 'It involves three very difficult tasks and the winner gets what they call … eternal glory.'

'Wow,' Davey mouthed. Thomas gave him a funny look. Albus guessed that Thomas had probably explained the Triwizard Tournament to Davey before now; but Davey was a little bit slow to say the least.

'So you will enter, Thomas?' Albus said.

'Yes, I suppose I shall,' Thomas said, looking solemn.

'I am sure that the Goblet will pick you,' Albus said. 'You are the best Gryffindor, and we are the best House.'

'What about you?' Mars wondered out loud. 'You will enter, surely?'

'Me?' Albus said. 'Do not be ridiculous, I am only turning twelve tomorrow.'

'Yes, but you are the best in our year,' Davey said.

'If I may say so, without offense meant, Albus,' Thomas said, 'even the leader of the Pirates is far too young and inexperienced for the Triwizard Tournament.'

Albus nodded. Mars' and Davey's eyes were wider than saucers. The revelation that the Triwizard Tournament was beyond even their champion friend Albus Dumbledore was astonishing. They both came to the conclusion that this Tournament had to be virtually impossible, if Albus would not be able to handle it.

'There you boys are!' exclaimed Lubo. Albus' mother came hustling down the street, three other adult witches accompanying her. One of them was Mrs. Jones, who had messy blonde hair and blue eyes just like her sons. 'I toddled off to Flourish and Blotts and got caught up talking to these ladies. It took me ten minutes to realize that you were not still with me. Come, hurry, the books are selling out fast and you will not want to start the school year without them.'

'I have bought yours,' Mrs. Jones told her sons. 'We will leave you to it, Lubo, I must take my boys to the Owl Emporium.'

Albus, Mars and Aberforth bade farewell to the Jones brothers and turned to follow Lubo. She led them to a crowded bookstore with brand new lettering overhead the display window. It read; Flourish and Blotts – Purveyors of Quality Books, Scrolls and Papyri.

Inside, Albus was crushed by dozens of people pushing their way to the front of the queue. Fortunately Lubo had some sort of aura around her which allowed her to reach the front easily, and her three sons were able to follow. Albus had a feeling that his mother was using her magic in an underhanded way. She was every bit as powerful as Archaeon Dumbledore, but she rarely showed it.

Lubo had command of Albus' booklist, so he only found out what texts he would be using when she turned to place a pile in his hands. As Professor Prewett had been giving Albus advanced tuition, he received a number of fourth and fifth year texts. But one text was at the standard level, and the author had a familiar name.

'Mars; look at this,' Albus said, pointing at the cover of a dusty brown text, 'Principles of Defeating the Dark Arts – A Historical Perspective, by Januar Solstice.'

'Who?' asked Mars.

'It is Januar Solstice,' Albus said, 'my father's Archaeowizarding colleague. The one who found the Everlasting Flame and we overheard him.'

'Albus!' yelled Lubo all of a sudden. 'Silencio! Will you not reveal the secrets of your father's archaeowizarding finds to everyone in this shop?'

Albus mouthed an apology and spent the next twenty minutes waiting for his mother's spell to wear off. It did not, so eventually he had to tug on her dress while they were buying owl snacks for Mars' pet owl Jupiter in another shop, and she undid the silencing charm reluctantly.

Once all the requirements of Albus', Aberforth's and Mars' lists had been fulfilled, Lubo relented to the boys' persistence and agreed to let them have milkshakes at Gorgyle Gorgyllen's. It was there; while all three boys had their noses in creamy chocolate drinks, that a few of the Pirates came running up to greet them.

'Albus!' cried a shrill voice. Before Albus could react he was buried in a hug. The girl stepped back after virtually throttling him to reveal sandy hair framing a pretty face with dark eyes. It was Victoria Moody, a girl from whom Albus' thoughts could rarely stray.

'Victoria,' he said, 'how good to see you! And Emily! Maggie!'

Emily Marchbanks and Maggie Weasley were also present. They exchanged excited greetings with Mars, Aberforth and Albus; gladly accepted Lubo's offer that she buy them all milkshakes, and sat down to listen to Mars and Albus regaling their trip to Egypt. In turn, Victoria had a story to tell about her trip to East Africa with her parents. Even though Egypt was several thousand miles north, the thought that Victoria had been on the same continent as he seemed to warm Albus' core. He listened intently as she spoke.

'… we were going by slow boat, of course,' she was saying, 'but Father grew impatient and, well, he went and magicked the boat along, if you will. Mother was furious, but when we arrived after just three days of sailing she forgave him pretty quickly. You know how long it takes to sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Anyway, the Kikuyu witchdoctors were a fearsome sight I can tell you. They make their muggles swear blood oaths, and if they break them, they drop down dead!'

'It sounds very dark to me,' Mars said. 'What were you doing there?'

'Father works in the field of magical weaponry development for the Ministry,' Victoria explained. 'What with the world situation, one never knows when we might be at war with other wizarding nations. So he went to East Africa to try and learn from the voodoo witchdoctors. I think he learned some pretty neat stuff, I know I did.'

'Will you show us, please,' Albus said. His blue eyes gleamed at the prospect of seeing voodoo witchcraft.

'I beg your pardon,' Lubo interrupted severely. 'Not at a table in front of Gorgyle Gorgyllen's, right in the middle of Diagon Alley! Now, finish up your milkshakes, we really ought to be heading back before dark.'

The six children happily slurped down the remainder of their milkshakes. Albus lingered with his farewell of Victoria, bade goodbye to the other two girls and then followed Mars, Aberforth and Lubo back to the nearest fireplace.

'That Moody girl is a pretty one,' Lubo remarked, turning a coy eye on her younger son. 'Do be careful though, those voodoo spells can be quite entrancing.'

'Mother!' cried Albus, turning a bright shade of pink. Aberforth and Mars could not resist releasing a howl of laughter, and for the remainder of the evening back home in the Dumbledore mansion, Albus endured endless teasing about his undying love for one Victoria Moody.

Once he had resigned himself to the inevitable taunts, Albus managed to see the bright side. Tomorrow was his birthday, and that meant a train ride to Hogwarts for the start of the new school year (and seeing Victoria Moody again, quite coincidentally).

Author's Note: There you go, a second installment of the adventure. I will not be quite as proficient at updating every few days as I was last time. I am quite busy but I should manage at least one update a week. Please keep the reviews coming and do not be afraid to critique my work. I am very flattered by all the nice things you all say, but it would be helpful sometimes if you could add some advice or some requests too. It can only improve my writing, and I won't hex you if you criticize me!