Chapter 15: Resigned
The morning after Albus said good-bye to Harry Potter, Professor Black nor Professor were at breakfast.
Albus took that as a bad sign.
He took a seat next to Elphias, who glanced up at him as if to see who exactly sat down before turning back to his charms book.
"You haven't seen Professor Merrythought this morning, have you?" Albus asked him as he flipped a page.
"No," he said. Albus looked up to the teacher's table again as if hoping they had appeared there in the few seconds he hadn't looked. "Do you remember what…"
Albus wasn't listening. He suddenly had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him and turned, looking for the source.
"Albus?" Elphias said.
"I… have to go," he said, standing. "Are you done eating?"
"Yeah," Elphias said, following Albus quickly. His strides were so long that Elphias had a hard time keeping up. "Where are you going?"
"Harry left last night," Albus said softly, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I think Professor Merrythought might have gotten in trouble."
Elphias's eyes widened. "Did he resign?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Albus said. "She told me he was leaving and I went to see him. He didn't say much, but I can tell he's nervous about getting caught by the Ministry. He doesn't want to jeopardize the future."
Albus hurried up the stairs. Elphias didn't ask anymore questions, just followed, right on Dumbledore's heels until they stopped right in front of Merrythought's office.
He knocked and then waited very impatiently. Too much time seemed to pass and he almost gave up. "Maybe she's-" Elphias started right as the door swung open.
"Did you need something, Dumbledore?" she asked. He peeked over her shoulder and saw that the office was empty.
"Er, no," he said, though he was relieved. "I just had to be sure Professor Black isn't angry with you."
She smiled kindly, shaking her head. "I appreciate your concern, Dumbledore, but that is a matter between him and me. I have everything I'm going to say to him regarding Harry planned out."
"What?"
She just gave him a stern look, her emotions shifting immediately. "I know I'm usually very forgiving with you, but right now I can't tell you anything." She frowned slightly and Albus got the impression she didn't mean to say it like she did. It wasn't harsh, but it wasn't in her kindly voice, either. She must have been very stressed. "I'm sorry, Albus."
He nodded and she shut the door softly. Albus sighed and went down the corridor the way they had come. "She doesn't want me to know anything," he said to Elphias.
"Why?" he asked. "You've been involved with Harry since he got here!"
"I don't know why." Although, Albus was certain she just didn't want him to know where exactly Harry was hiding, most likely for safety. That was understandable, but incredibly frustrating as well.
"Do you think she doesn't trust you?" Elphias asked.
"She trusts me, but I think she knows some… things," he said. By 'things,' he meant how he always tried to push Harry into telling him something from his life. Now, he felt a little guilty about that. He shouldn't have pushed him so hard. "Nevermind. Shall we go to potions?"
Albus couldn't keep his mind off Harry's leave. During classes, he half listened, half-worried about Black's response. The mistake of only giving some of his concentration to schoolwork only backfired in Potions.
"Mr. Dumbledore!" Professor Glumage yelled. "It's much too early for your potion to boil!"
Albus quickly turned down the heat and pulled the cauldron off the flame before anything worse would happen. Glumage nodded and continued onto the next person.
He needed to concentrate on schoolwork, instead, but it was difficult. The rest of the day went by without any incident, not even a whisper of wonderment. Harry did, though, miss classes when he was there, so him missing for the day probably didn't capture anyone's attention.
But, at dinner that night, Professor Black stood, yelling out, "Silence!"
The whole hall turned to look up at him, going completely silent, even Albus, though he glanced at Elphias wearily.
"I have an announcement," he said, his narrowed eyes slipping over every other student's face. Albus swore he caught his eye and looked at him longer than anyone else before shifting to someone else. "It is with regret-" Albus was positive he could hear not a speck of remorse in his voice, "-to inform you that one of our staff has resigned."
There was a sudden gasp that shifted through the Hall as a whisper broke out. People shifted to look up at the Head Table, as if to figure out who had resigned.
"Silence!" Black yelled out again. The hush wasn't as instantaneous as before, but it quieted down enough for him to say, "Mr. Potter, the teacher's assistant to one Professor Merrythought, is no longer a staff member, as I have received a letter of his resignation this morning. Thank you."
He sat back down and the hall broke out into a loud rumble. Albus glanced at Elphias sadly, and stood. He didn't want to be in the Great Hall anymore.
Elphias didn't follow him, though.
He rushed to the front doors of the castle and pulled the heavy oak door open. Once he slipped out, it thundered closed behind him and he sat down on the front steps of the castle and looked out toward the forest.
This was all Aberforth's fault, he thought. He couldn't figure out why Aberforth had to be so… he couldn't even think of a word, but insufferable came close to it.
Albus wanted to know where Harry was. He only had one guess about where Harry was that could have been right.
He had to be with Flamel.
"Albus?"
He turned. He'd noticed the door opening, but he didn't expect the person coming out meant to find him instead. He guessed, however, that his leaving the Great Hall had been very noticeable, since he was tall and Head Boy, and admittingly seen with Harry plenty of times before.
But out of anyone he'd expected to see, he did not expect to see Atticus Potter standing there, half hiding behind the door.
"Hello," Albus said.
"May I talk to you?" he asked. When Albus nodded, Atticus sat down beside him on the steps, about a foot away. "Do you know why Mr. Potter left?"
Albus glanced at him, then turned to look up at the sky. Stars glittered up there with a half moon standing out against the darkness. He didn't think it was right to tell him. There was too much that had to be said and none of it was good, especially when Atticus's father was Head Auror. "No," Albus lied.
"I wondered where he'd been. He usually talks to me in the mornings."
Albus knew that, but suddenly, he realized… "What did you two talk about?" he asked quickly.
Atticus hesitated, glancing back at the door as if he expected someone to open it. When no one did, he turned back to Albus. "Promise you won't tell anybody. Please? My dad can't know."
Albus nodded. "Of course."
"He'd been helping me with Defense," he said, looking down at his hands. "Most people expect me, being the son of the Head Auror to know all about it… but, really, my best subject is Charms. I've been doing horrible in Defense, but Mr. Potter was giving me lessons."
Albus had his full attention on him. "Anything else? Did he say anything about himself?"
Atticus looked up, then quickly looked down again. "He never said much. I mean, I asked him once if he's always been good at Defense, and… it's not at all like he's been saying about himself before. He always said he was homeschooled, but after I asked, he said he'd started to understand it in third year when 'Hogwarts finally got a good Defense teacher.' That's exactly what he said."
Albus felt both disappointment a panic at that. He hoped Atticus he would never mention that to his dad. "He said nothing else?" Albus said, trying to keep calm.
"I don't know. He said his birthday was July 31st and that he and his girlfriend had an owl named Ariana. Otherwise, no, nothing."
"Did you just say Ariana?" Albus asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I think that's what he said."
Albus stared out toward the forest again, unable to move. Nobody ever knew the name of his sister. When news reports came out about the attack, the name was always omitted and there were never many details besides the fact that his father had done something to a couple Muggle boys. The impression that his father hated Muggles was more on the front of people's minds rather than what happened to his sister. His mother now also tried to keep Ariana hidden. He didn't see how Harry would know, a hundred years later what had happened, if people, almost 10 years later had only a vague idea.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but he didn't see how.
Had he even really, truly thought about the relationship he had with Harry in the future? He'd been caught up in finding out what Harry's story was. He'd thought about it, of course, but never wrapped his head around the fact that he had no idea how people 100 years apart in age could possibly know each other. Harry seemed to get along with him very well and seemed comfortable around him. Suddenly that idea seemed strange to him.
"I don't understand. He didn't leave because of what your brother did, did he, when he went up to the teacher's table and started yelling?" Atticus asked.
Albus took in a deep breath. "I don't know if I should give that information." He paused, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Look, Atticus. Whatever you do, do not tell your dad about what Harry said when he was helping you in Defense. Anything. Pretend like you didn't know him, all right?"
"Why?" he asked.
"Just promise me." At least none that Albus knew, but he trusted Harry.
Atticus nodded, though he seemed perplexed as if wondering if he should believe Albus. Albus could imagine he'd trust his father more than him, but Atticus took lessons with Harry. He knew Harry much better than Cadmus Potter ever would. "I won't tell him anything"
"Good. Thank you."
Atticus took in a deep breath, glancing down toward the lake. They sat there for a long time and while Atticus wasn't paying attention, Albus studied him, seeing how his nose was the same as Harry's, his hair just as messy but with a shorter style. Atticus was also slight and Albus could imagine Harry had been the same way, maybe even smaller than his relative. It was easy to tell they were only about one or two generations away from each other. He might have even been Harry's grandfather for all Albus knew.
"Why did you tell me?" Albus asked him.
"He's mentioned you a couple times," Atticus said with a small shrug. "It just seemed like you were friends and I've seen you talking to him. Did you know him before he started teaching with Merrythought?"
Albus took a very long time to answer that, mostly because he had no idea how to answer. No, he hadn't known Harry, but Harry had known him, and that was a very strange paradox in Albus's mind. How did they know each other in Harry's time? Really.
"No," Albus said.
"Oh," Atticus said, looking back toward the lake.
Albus could remember one of the first days he met Harry. He almost called him 'Professor.' It was very possible that he would have ended up as a professor, but he couldn't see himself as one, not really.
He could only really see himself as Minister of Magic. He was aiming for that with his studies, why he always spent so much time researching every subject, especially politics, and apprenticing with Nicolas Flamel. He'd never met anyone as interested in politics as he was. He'd never met any with the same kind of marks that he had, either. Albus was the first to admit that he knew a lot.
What he thought he knew was how he was planning on spending his life. He was sure he'd get a high job in the Ministry, maybe Junior assistant to the Minister.
But professor… what would ever possess him to give up his plan.
If Harry's slip was true or not, of course.
But Harry seemed much too close to him, very comfortable. Albus had a close relationship with Merrythought, but he wouldn't exactly call themselves friends. They'd only become more friendly once Harry came into the picture. Otherwise, they didn't know much about each other. Unless Harry had spent many, many detentions with him, he couldn't see how Harry would be so friendly and comfortable with him.
He didn't want to think he'd become a professor. But what else was there? Harry did say his parents died. Could Albus had adopted him?
No. He couldn't see himself being a father. Never. Not even an adopted child, much less a biological child.
He really didn't know and not knowing frustrated him.
"I'm going back to the Tower." Albus blinked a couple times, glancing at Atticus, who he'd almost forgotten was still sitting beside him. "Er, thanks for listening."
"You're very welcome," Albus said kindly, smiling gently, though his mind was still racing, thinking of all the possibilities. Could he be related to Albus somehow? He wasn't sure how any of the Potters would marry into his family at all.
"Are you coming?" he asked, already to the door.
"No, go ahead. I have Head duties tonight."
The door groaned closed, landing surprisingly lightly against the frame.
Albus stared out into the darkness, just wondering.
There was a lot to wonder about with Harry Potter. He had secrets he wasn't willing to share. He had a relationship with Albus. He knew Aberforth of all people. He was very strong in Defense.
Albus just wasn't sure and the thought that he possibly wouldn't see Harry again in 82 years, when Harry would be born, made him reluctantly nervous. He knew it was very, very bad to know too much about the future, or anything really, but to have someone who knew everything excited him.
Even so, he hoped he would see Harry again and if not, then he would just go mad.
The time began to run slowly.
The whole of November, Albus wondered everyday where Harry had gone, but came to no real conclusions. There were times he thought he'd gone to Flamel, but when Albus went to Flamel's house for a check up on his project for him, Harry was no where to be found.
"He's out and about," Flamel had said when he asked. Albus tried to ask what that meant, but he refused whole-heartedly not to answer him as he showed Albus the progress of the Elixir of Epoch, which would take Harry back. "Nine more months," Flamel said, stirring it clockwise, then counter clockwise five times.
Albus thought nine months felt like a lifetime, although, Flamel, who was well into his 500s probably thought that was a nice lengthy walk on a trail.
Merrythought wasn't much better. When he'd ask her, she'd say that Harry was doing fine, but that was all she ever told him. "Don't worry about him," she said softly during spell practice in Defense. "He can take care of himself."
By December, he learned nothing about Harry, not even any sort of investigation that the Ministry could have been keeping quiet if there was such a thing going on.
Otherwise, Albus kept a close eye on Aberforth when he wasn't on Head duties or studying in the library (a place where Albus was sure Aberforth didn't even know the location in the school). He watched his brother close enough to know that he most often went to the green houses in his free time or else went down by the lake.
Albus had never watched Aberforth so closely before and had no idea he liked to spend so much time outside. That made it easy to see him because he could glance out a window facing the right direction to see if Aberforth was out.
His brother didn't make much trouble, though, for which Albus was glad for.
The only time he actually got to talk to Aberforth was two weeks before Holiday break when Aberforth gave Albus a letter from their mother to read out loud.
"'Albus and Aberforth,'" he read to Aberforth in a corner of the Gryffindor Common Room late one evening. "'I hope you both are doing well. I'm very sorry for my lack of letters. As you can see, our poor owl is in his last flights and I dislike making him fly so far. Albus, since you have your Apparation license, would you mind terribly giving side-long Apparation to Aberforth so I don't have to leave Mrs. Bagshot with Ariana?'"
Aberforth turned his nose at that, scowling. "Hush, brother," Albus said, "It's just one time."
"Which will turn into another when she makes you do the same after Christmas," he said irritably. "I don't want to hear the rest of it." He stood, closing the notebook Albus had given him on his birthday and stood.
Albus looked down at the letter again once Aberforth left. It only said, 'See you at Christmas. Love and miss you both, Kendra.'
Albus folded it carefully and stuck it in his schoolbag, probably to be lost until the end of the school year.
There was a long week of tests after that, and five days before Christmas, almost all of Hogwarts filed onto the Hogwarts Express.
"What are you doing over Holiday?" Elphias asked Albus as they filed down the length of the train to find an empty compartment.
"I'm studying, of course," Albus said. But, he didn't tell him something very important and it involved Harry. "Yourself?"
"I believe the same," Elphias said with a short sigh. "I can see why it's called Nastily Exhausting. The whole year is devoted to these tests."
Albus nodded. "Ah, a compartment. After you."
Albus read and took notes most of the train ride, already starting on the second half of the Transfiguration textbook. He would have read the entire book before school started, but with his apprenticeship with Flamel, he only had so much time. He'd only read half of all his books and planned on spending the break finishing them. His mother would be mad at him for spending all his time reading, but school was important.
"Albus, have you seen this?"
Albus jerked his head up, having forgotten Elphias was sitting right across from him, holding The Daily Prophet out to him.
Albus took it and scanned the page. "What am I looking for?" he asked.
"Bottom right."
Right under an advertisement for a magical cleaning solution was a very small article, hardly noticeable, reading, "A pending investigation by the Magical Law Enforcement Department has garnered little result as the year comes to a close. Led my Head Auror Cadmus Potter, the team investigates a suspicion made by Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black about an assistant teacher who resigned from Hogwarts early November. Little is known about the teacher, but Professor Black says, 'There's something abnormal about the man.' Headmaster Black has stated the teacher, whose name has not been released, has disappeared. The Auror office has had little luck finding him. Information about the investigation or what the teacher has done is strictly undisclosed. It is said that no students were involved."
Albus read it over twice. "Well, at least that's something," he said, folding the paper over and handing it back to Elphias. "No body's found him."
Elphias nodded. "He must be good at this, hiding I mean. I'm sure I would be found in two hours with the Aurors on my trail. What do you think his life was like before he came here?"
"I haven't a clue," said Albus. "All I know is that he's very good at Defense and seems quite experienced, after all the lessons we've seen. Don't you remember in October he beat Merrythought in a full on duel? That's not easy to do with her."
"And then she called you up and beat you in a minute," Elphias added. "You put up a very good fight, though."
"Don't remind me," Albus said.
Elphias smiled. "It didn't seem like it was that difficult for you. You were only a spell away from beating her."
That had been true. Albus wished he had someone that was as good with magic as he was. He wanted someone who could give him a challenge, like Merrythought, but in any subject. There was no telling what else Harry was good at besides Defense, either, so he had yet to find anyone with his skill level and that frustrated him more than trying to figure out Harry Potter.
Once the train stopped, Albus closed the book and his ink and, together, they made their way onto the platform where most parents were waiting, except for Kendra Dumbledore.
Albus found Aberforth standing under the Hogwarts Express sign. "Ready?" he asked him even though he obviously looked ready to get the Apparation overwith.
Albus held out his arm and his brother grabbed on tightly to his arm and then they were off.
Aberforth gasped and sputtered next to him as soon as they landed in their browning lawn in Godric's Hollow.
"It's not that horrible," Albus said, dropping his arm and striding up the cobbled walkway to the pine door of the small bungalow style house.
Aberforth huffed behind him as he pushed open the door.
"Albus!"
A tall woman appeared in the doorway off to the right and a blonde girl jumped up and down behind her, trying to get a better look. "Where's Ab?" she called out.
His mother shushed her and came forward to hug Albus. He only returned it halfway, placing his hand on her back awkwardly before letting go.
"It's good to see you again," she said, letting him go and looking him up and down. He had to look down at her even when she was taller than the average woman. "I think you've grown more. Ah, there's Aberforth!"
That was when Ariana ran forward and nearly knocked Aberforth down from the strength of her hug. Albus smiled reluctantly while Aberforth's face lit up in the first smile he'd seen on his brother since the summer, when Albus happened to leave for his apprenticeship.
Albus stepped away, dropping his school bag down on the floor and starting down the hall toward his bedroom he shared with Aberforth to read. He heard Aberforth say, "Have you fed Hokey and Pokey yet? Come on, Ariana, let's go see the goats," before he shut the door.
Albus settled in a chair at his desk to read with a candle lit, but not even a paragraph in, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he said, writing a note in the corner of the book.
"You disappeared," she said as soon as the door squeaked open.
"I wanted to get done with this chapter," he said.
"It's Christmas, Albus. Please don't spend all your time studying."
He looked up at her and her dark eyes showed so much concern about it. She really was a good mother. He had good parents, but with Ariana, things weren't like he wished they would be.
Albus gave a sigh. "Please let me finish this chapter, mother."
"Okay, but dinner will be ready soon. I want you there."
Albus nodded and she turned to leave, though she came back and hugged him sideways again.
"Wait," he said when she let go and turned to leave. "Do you have any idea where Godric's Hollow keeps records about families?"
"Hm," she murmured, putting her long fingers up to her lips. "I believe that's at the church. I'm sure you could ask."
"Thank you," Albus said, dripping his quill in the ink well again.
"You're welcome. Remember dinner."
She turned to leave and finally, she closed the door softly behind her. He read the chapter quickly, though thinking the whole time that he would go straight to the church in the morning to find those records. Maybe that would give him some clue about Harry Potter, even if they weren't in the correct time frame.