Dumbledore
(After Dumbledore's death)
Steam is everywhere. Others walking through can hardly see his own feet if he were to look down. However, there are only two people here. An older man with long, silver, beard with spectacles gracing his face. He looks quite at peace here, twiddling his thumbs patiently, as if waiting for someone. Slowly, another figure appears through the steam, this time female. The man looks up, hearing her approach, and smiles to her. She smiles back, though a bit more sheepishly. Tucking her black hair behind her ears, almost nervously, she walks closer to the man,
"Dumbledore,"
She greets, the man nods to her, a twinkle appears in his eyes as he replies,
"Hello, Iris, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes…it has,"
They stand together in silence until Dumbledore coughs,
"Shall we sit down?"
Iris asks. He looks around for a second, looking for some chairs and sees none through the steamy haze.
"That'd be nice but where—"
"Over here"
He looks back at her and she is already sitting in a chair, it's twin beside here with a small table in between,
"That's some magic,"
"It's not magic. This place gives me what I ask for"
"And what is this place, dear Iris?"
"I like to compare it to a waiting room in a house. The place you stay before moving on to the rest of the house."
Dumbledore nods and looks around,
"It doesn't look like a house"
"No, it doesn't, does it?"
"If I had to guess,"
The twinkle in his eye reappears,
"It looks like the Great Hall at Hogwarts"
"I suppose. It's not really though"
"Oh? Then how are we standing here?"
"We're dead"
She whispers, as though telling a terrible secret,
"Like I said, it's like a waiting room"
"Hmm, that is interesting, Iris. However, if it's the waiting room, why are only the two of us here?"
"I'm here to wait. I don't know why you're here exactly, not many people show up here. Not randomly anyway. My father showed up a while back"
"And what did he say to you?"
"Not much, he apologized quickly and moved on. I suppose he went to find my mother"
"Why didn't you go with him?"
"Like I said, I'm here to wait"
"For what?"
He asks, then an idea hits him and he rephrases,
"Or, better yet, for whom?"
She stares at him for a second,
"You know who"
Another flash of intellect hits him and he gasps in wonder,
"Ah, I see now, this is why I'm here"
"Oh? Why is that?"
She asks innocently, though her amused expression gives her away. She knew all along,
"After I knew I would die, I began to think a lot more then I usually did. Not just about how to take down Horcruxes, no, that became instinct like to me. Over that I began to think of you, Iris, you and Tom. I always forget that he did have one friend. Though your time together was cut short"
"Avery was his friend"
She tries to defend. He simply shakes his head,
"Avery was a follower. I don't believe Tom ever thought of him as anything more"
"You didn't know Morty like I did. You just saw his anger"
"You mean his evilness. Yes, that part of him did stand out to me"
They are silent for several minutes,
"I know what he's been doing. I know he's killed many people. Even before I died."
"Yes, his father…for all we know he may not have known what he was doing at that point in time. Tom could have been overcome with anger at his father. Though, that's not to say it excuses his actions, especially since he continues to kill even after that."
"I wonder what would've happened had I not…"
"Died? Yes, I think many people would ask that question after they've died. I am asking myself now what will happen to Harry"
"Ah yes, the boy who lived. He'll make it through"
"How do you know? After all, you seem to be quite sure that Tom will die. Don't get me wrong now, my plan was for him to die, but how have you been so sure all this time?"
"No one lives forever, it's the first rule of life, I think. I've waited here all this time with that imbedded into my mind."
"How much longer do you think you'll have to wait here?"
Dumbledore asks, not just out of curiosity for Iris, but for Harry's well being too,
"Not much longer, time will pass quickly for us here, but down there it will probably be another year. You left that boy with a difficult task"
"Yes, I know. I also know he'll have questions for me soon if my plans go accordingly"
Iris nods understandingly,
"I think you'll be in a similar position as this one now"
He looks around,
"You think so?"
"Yes, probably not a waiting room though. This is a place for the dead to wait for loved ones. You'll be somewhere that he can turn around if he wishes to. Or at least,"
She smirks at him,
"That's what I'm guessing."
A/N: Hello! Please R&R. I thought this one was kind of cute. Iris and Dumbledore talking about what's happening to the living after they've been dead. So yeah…
Love,
Pastry~