Albus Dumbledore's Search for the Hallows
Chapter Two
"Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss."- Alexandre Dumas in 'The Count of Monte Cristo'
Albus woke to a ray of sunlight shining heavily on his face. The source of light had come from a nearby window that was badly in need of dusting. Albus wiped his eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. For a moment, he had forgotten that he had any problems in the world at all, but the revelation of his present position crashed down on him like a pile of bricks.
Sighing heavily, Albus went to the bathroom to get himself ready for the day ahead of him. He pulled back the shower curtain and cringed at the sight that beheld him. The tub was covered with mold, and a cockroach was making itself across the ledge. Albus pulled back the curtain and made a mental note to have it cleaned later. He brushed his teeth and got dressed, then rushed downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Albus pulled out a series of items including eggs, milk, bread, bacon, marmalade, and butter. He stared at the items spread out in front of him, then realized he had no idea where to start. He'd been at Hogwarts for the past seven years, and all his meals were served for him. He pulled out his wand and stared at, hoping for inspiration. Of course, most wizards had in fact used magic to make their meals, but they still needed to know how to cook in order to instruct the wand. Albus started to wonder if his mother had any magical cookbooks in the house when Ariana came skipping down the stairs.
She raised an eyebrow then said to him "Are you making breakfast, Albus?" "Well," He said flatly. "Trying, and ultimately failing" She rolled her eyes then said "Here, let me help you. I help mother cook all the time." With those words, they began slicing, dicing, frying and cooking. Ariana showed Albus several clever tricks for cooking, and he was very grateful for it. As they were cooking bacon over the stove, Albus looked thoughtfully at his sister. She wasn't so crazy. Not all the time, anyway. Besides her spontaneous use of magic, he thought, she was a very normal girl. Happy, playful, and even helpful. It was just her unpredictable powers. At school, Albus learned that knowing magic was a wonderful gift people are lucky to have. But maybe this life wasn't cut out for everyone. People like Ariana, whose magical powers are really their flaw. He looked pityingly at his sister, wishing with all his heart he could take burden of these abilities away from her.
Ariana turned to look at him, then asked "Why are you looking at me like that Albus?" Stirring Albus out of his thoughts, he said "Oh nothing, just thinking that maybe we should cook some sausages as well." Ariana turned back to the bacon and said "Oh no, mother doesn't keep sausages in the house, she says that they are to fattening." Mentioning their mother brought up another thing he wanted to talk about with Ariana. "Ariana," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words "You know, there's a chance that mother won't wake up. You see, when you hit her with that curse-" but the rest of Albus' sentence was drowned out by a large yawn that had come from Aberforth who was walking down the stairs, his hair rumpled and disheveled. He shot Albus a warning look then walked down the stairs muttering something that sounded like "Morning all."
Aberforth helped himself to a strip of bacon and slumped into a chair. He looked at Albus then asked "So what's your plan?" "Huh?" Albus said, startled. "What are you going to do to support us all? I mean, mother's money will only last us about another five or six weeks. I'm going in to town today to get a job, but it probably won't pay much since I'm only 14." Aberforth said, depositing another piece of bacon into his mouth. Now that Albus thought about, he did need some means of supporting them. "You know what Aberforth, I think I'll go with you into town today. I'm going to get a job as well. Go get dressed and we'll live in ten minutes." Aberforth nodded approvingly then walked up the stairs to his bedroom. Albus wasn't too worried about Ariana. In a letter, Aberforth had said that when he and mother needed to go into town, they left her with an old widow named Ms. Hendsforth who lived near the creek. She was a kind old lady who knew how to handle Ariana's meltdown's in case there was one, seeing as she raised 12 children and that was basically like having one unstable child already. Ariana said she didn't mind too much, because Mrs. Hendsforth liked to tell her stories of when she was a girl, which were apparently very exciting.
After Ariana was dropped off at Mrs. Hendsforth's house, Albus and Aberforth apparated into Diagon Alley. Aberforth, being underage, traveled using side-along apparition to Albus. They were transported in front of an old bar called 'Hog's Head'. Aberforth was very green and started stumbling around on the cobblestone sidewalk. Albus held his shoulders to steady him, than Aberforth muttered something about going to the bathroom. After Aberforth walked in to the bar, Albus took the opportunity to gaze around Diagon alley, which in his opinion was far more satisfactory than the old Hog's Head. Shops of all shapes, sizes, and colors were scattered about the streets, decorated with colorful signs and ornaments. The people, Albus felt, were almost as colorful as the shops. It might have been the fact that he had only been seeing plain black robes and top hats for the past seven years, but these people looked so…alien. Pink, green, and blue clashed together magnificently, polka-dots, stripes, and jewels.
A couple minutes later, Aberforth ran out the doors of the Hog's Head, looking excited. "Albus, Albus!" he cried "I just got a job, and we haven't even been here ten minutes!" Albus looked startled. "Already?" he said "Where?" "In the bar, where else?" Aberforth responded disdainfully. Albus looked at him strangely. "As a barman? You're not even old enough to drink yourself! And frankly, I don't think it's a very good idea. You don't know what kind of crowd comes in there." "No, Albus" Aberforth said exasperatedly. "I'm just and assistant. You know, I'll sweep, mop, clean the bathrooms, do inventory….stuff like that." Albus thought about it for a moment. "All right, I guess that's a good idea."He said. "But you're going to have to walk around town with me while I get a job; I have no time to apparate here and back." "Fine" Aberforth grunted. So they set off.
The rest of the job hunt wasn't as easy for Albus as it was for Aberforth. You see, the boys' father was a prisoner in the wizard jail Azkaban for murdering several muggles. Over the years their family was mocked and shunned. Albus managed to quench that reputation slightly by demonstrating his intellectual skills and wisdom while at Hogwarts, but of course, most people in Diagon Alley didn't know of Albus and his abilities so they persecuted him almost as badly as they would have his father.
After meeting with dozens of store and business owners (from clothing stores and ice cream joints to owlries and joke shops) Albus began to feel discouraged. They finally arrived at an old, tall brick building that looked as if it must've been magnificent at one point in the past. Gold cursive letters at the top of the building read 'Borgin and Burkes'. Albus doubted that he would get hired, but felt he might as well try one more place.
Albus opened the large red door in front of the building. He walked inside and marveled for a moment the odd beauty of the old shop. On the shelves were objects he had never seen before, some looked as if they might be dangerous. Behind the counter was a handsome young man with dark hair and eyes that looked about Albus' age. Albus approached him. "Excuse me" he said. "May I see the owner?" The young man looked at Albus reproachfully. "Mr. Borgin does not like to be disturbed. Maybe I can help you?" "Well, actually," Albus said "I'm looking to apply for a job." "A job?" the young man said "Why are you looking for a job? You look about school age." "Well, what's your excuse" Albus said in a dignified voice. "Mr. Borgin has tutored me since I was just a boy. Which is why I know he does not liked to be disturbed. Now why do you want to see him?" The boy demanded. Albus answered carefully. "I just graduated from Hogwarts. You see, my mum just died and I have to take care of my brother and sister. Henceforth, I need a job. Please let me see Mr. Borgin. He's the only one left in town."
The young man studied him carefully for a moment. "Alright, I'll get Mr. Borgin. He has been saying we need to some extra help around here." He said. Then he walked into the back room. A few moments later, a middle-aged man who Albus presumed was Mr. Borgin walked out of the room, with the young man close at his heels. "So" the man said. "Gellert here tells me that you're looking for a job. Is that correct?" Albus nodded his head. "Well it just so happens that we do need an extra hand around here. I am not, however, desperate. I require only but an intelligent, skillful, and determined young man. I will conduct an interview with you to see if you are worthy of the position. Is that clear?" Albus nodded his head once more. He was under the impression that Mr. Borgin was not a mean person, but he did have his priorities straight. After they sat down, Mr. Borgin began asking questions.
"What is your name?" Albus replied carefully, hoping that Mr. Borgin would not know who he is. "Albus Dumbledore, sir." Mr. Borgin looked at him then said "Did you know that Dumbledore means 'bumblebee' in Early Modern English?" "No I didn't sir." Albus replied, relieved that the only thing the man knew about his name was that it meant bumblebee. "Tell me, do you have any schooling experience?" Albus cleared his throat then spoke. "I went to Hogwarts for seven years; I just graduated last month. I was prefect, head boy, and I graduated with honors. If you want, you could ask Professor Dippet for a reference…" he trailed off. "That won't be necessary, Albus. I believe you." Mr. Borgin replied gently. "But if you graduate with honors, then why do you seek employment in a mere shop? Why not explore the world, like most young wizards?" At this point, Albus felt the truth was inevitable. He sighed, looked directly at Mr. Borgin, and then spoke.
"Mr. Borgin, a few months ago, my mother died. You see, my sister is very unstable, so she shot her with a spell by accident. My father, as you probably have heard by now, is in jail. So, as man of the house, I was sent here to take care of my younger brother in sister. But I assure you Mr. Borgin, I am nothing like my father. I have no prejudice against muggles; quite the contrary, I feel they are a valuable asset. And as for my sister, well, I'm not like her either, and she's not even so bad to begin with" Albus finished, feeling resigned. There wasn't a chance he'd be hired anymore, he thought.
Mr. Borgin studied him for a moment then spoke softly. "Albus, unfortunately, there are many people in this world who will hold the mistakes of your father and pin them on you. I, however, will not do that, I swear it. I myself am not proud of my family, and I'm sure that you're tired of being turned down because of something that is completely out of your grasp. You seem like a highly qualified candidate for the job, which is why I'm hiring you."
A smile lit up Albus' face. "R-really?" he blundered. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." "You're welcome, but please try not to stutter. It's not very attractive." Mr. Borgin answered. "But before I let you go, I need to tell you about your job." Albus shut up then listened. "You are not to disclose the details of your job with anybody. You will be going from place to place, attempting to buy and trade rare items. At times, it might get dangerous, so I ask that you to think before you jump right into this. And remember what I said, don't tell anyone about your work. Got it?" Mr. Borgin said, nothing but seriousness on his face. Albus nodded and said "Got it." "Very well" Mr. Borgin said, nodding approvingly. "You start tomorrow at 8 am sharp, don't be late. Now be on your way. Your brother seems to be very anxious." He said nodding towards the window, where sure enough, Aberforth was hopping from foot to foot, looking as if he was in bad need of a bathroom. Albus left the shop, and for the first time in months, felt pleased with himself.