Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.
Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers.
Author's Note(s): This piece was written for a challenge in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) on the FFN forum.
The Challenge Information:
House: Gryffindor
Subject [Task No.]: Muggle Art (Minimalism)
Prompt[s]: Task No. 02 (A character successful by doing less than required)
Word Count: 634
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More for Less
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"I've been building up all these kingdoms for so long … It's good to be king, like a conqueror."
– Zayde Wølf, King
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Albus Dumbledore was many things. Some of them people knew and many of them they didn't. Some of those things were clever distractions made possible only because no one bothered to verify the information or backtrack a rumor to its source. Much of what was attributed to him was carefully exaggerated so that he could modestly deny them.
It was the best idea that Albus had ever had.
Back when he was freshly graduated from Hogwarts, he had had such grand plans. He was going to take the world by storm. Gellert was going to be by his side the entire way. It was tragic how he lost both his love and his sister in the same day.
It also changed everything.
Albus began to understand the value of the gossip mill. By the end of the week, Godric's Hollow was completely convinced that he and Aberforth had dueled over Ariana's grave. Mrs. Bagshot, who had been there, even reported that in the village newsletter as a juicy fact. Just to test his theory, Albus discreetly started a few rumors about his prowess with transfiguration. Soon he was considered a master by the masses.
It would be wrong to use this knowledge for political power.
It would be a lie.
He would be a fool to pass up the opportunity.
Albus Dumbledore was not a fool.
He did defeat Gellert, but it was not the grand battle everyone assumed with magnificent displays of magical power and skillful prowess. It had been so easy to spread that rumor…almost as easy as it had been to lull Gellert into believing that Albus had been there to join forces with him. An unexpected stunner later netted Albus a defeated Dark Lord and a very special wand.
Riding the tide of good publicity got him a seat on Wizengamot in addition to his professorship at Hogwarts. It may seem like it would take a lot of effort to do both, especially once he became Headmaster, but given that he just voted as the majority did, he could cross reading the bills off his list of things to do. A few rumors stopped most people's worrying over his political leanings.
Keeping Binns on as the professor for History of Magic was genius. It made the students grow weary at the thought of research into the past and it saved him the effort necessary to find a suitable living replacement that wasn't reliving the same tedious school year on repeat. After a few generation, he could speak of the needing to honor the tradition of having a ghost teach the subject.
As more people graduated from the school he controlled, his power-base only grew larger. Each passing generation knew him, seeing him as the eccentric grandfather-like figure sharing their meals. They grew up hearing about his greatness and power, his humbleness and goodness. Albus was familiar to them; he was trusted. For minimum effort, he gained followers, ensuring that anyone speaking about him in a negative light would be shot down before the truth could gain any traction.
Soon Albus Dumbledore was firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of magical Britain. He was the most powerful person in the country, without the inevitable wane that could have happened if he had given into the demands for him to become Minister of Magic. He was perfectly happy becoming best friends with each successive Minister—and letting have both the work and the ire of the people of that went along with the position.
Now he just had to keep people from trying to send him after Voldemort.
Tom really did need to learn how to minimalize. The way the boy was going about this was making more work for everyone else. He would burn himself out if he kept it up.