-oo0oo-
Chapter 3. Liar on fire.
The moment the souls arrived was 20 March 1986.
Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.
Hogsmeade.
Scotland, UK.
10 am.
Headmaster office.
Albus Dumbledore was having a typical day until he sensed smoke. He got up and noticed all of his magical arrays for the Potter orphan, began shaking. Before an explosion occurred his familiar Fawkes the Phoenix took hold of a surprised elder and flashed him away before he was badly injured in the magical backlash as his office was razed one moment later.
From the instant the twin traveling souls arrived to the second after the destruction, Albus Dumbledore lost connection to Harry Potter the Boy-who-lived, who by now became the lost boy to the old wizard.
It was a surreal image to process, as the rest of the student body and personnel from the Castle, even the portraits were stunned into silence. Now all of them were witnesses to Albus Dumbledore's dementia. The headmaster's hat and beard were on fire. Not only that but in fact, the very respectable professor was seen outside his office yelling at the gargoyle at the bottom of the stairs, which served as proof of an old rumor that the man was insane.
Fortunately, Minerva McGonagall had had enough. That man's ramblings were worse than a hangover, and unfortunately, you could not support two at the time. That last wee dram the night before was too heavy on the spirits, and on a normal day she could take it, but not today.
"Enough already Albus, what has gotten into you?" Minerva asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The gargoyle is refusing passage to me, I'm the headmaster, and this is my school! I will not be treated in such a manner," answered the ancient and now, beardless wizard.
Minerva was still fighting her headache, but watching the old wizard in such a dreadful state brought a smile. She could recall, as a first-year watching the very handsome wizard Albus and developing a crush, to the current man standing in front of her and juxtaposing a caricature of that memory, it was a bit sad. Still, she had to be a professional even if the whole thing seemed like rehearsed play nowadays. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, opened them again, and said in a very neutral tone of voice. "You do realize that the castle placed a ward in order to suppress the fire, that the elves are just doing their job and you, yes, you have survived another attempt on your life? Unless, and this is a very vague theory of mine, were you experimenting with volatile substances or any magical arrays that could put yourself in danger, Headmaster?"
"Nonsense," Albus sulked, "I was minding my own business," Damn Albus thought to himself. She is far too smart for her own good, and now I feel like a firstie caught with my hand in the biscuit tin. Still frowning, he said out loud, "Um, I think I will take my leave and sort myself out, uh, you're right Minerva, I (cleared his throat) survived another attack, and Fawkes, the castle, and the elves are just doing their job, I, uh, see you later,"
"See that you do, good day to you Headmaster," added Minerva while she congratulated herself on growing out of that phase of crushing over Albus. Then again, Aberforth Dumbledore and Alastor Moody actually were better suited for her, and straight. Still, her wild youth remained her story and now was not the time to reminisce. Tonight, though, she would go back to her memoirs and continue detailing her very sordid affair with those bad boys. She loved them both so much, even to this day, it was hard not recalling without a glass of the good spirits next to her. For now, she had a job to do, and she turned to the portraits, elves, and scattered students who witnessed the exchange. "Alright, nothing to see here,"
The portraits just sniggered, while the elves snapped their fingers and disappeared, as a couple of young redheads, Bill and Charlie, smiled and they too moved away, talking about making explosions legal. Minerva shook her head and made her way to Madam Pomfreys' she was in need of a hangover potion now, if she wasn't careful, those Weasley boys were going to be her downfall.