The Curious Life Of Albus Dumbledore
(One-Shot)
Disclaimers: I don't own anything apart from some DVD's/books for this series.
AN: This is a short challenge prompt for "The Houses Competition" set in all eras of Harry Potter. As I am old (ish), my views of them may vary from the young ones, including the fact that I am TeamCharlus/Dorea, have Sirius/James as distant relations through Black blood, as well as TeamTrans (as an ally). I do not accept any new stuff by Rowling.
House: Gryffindor
Class: Prefect
Category: THC Challenge Two
Prompt(s): Dumbledore
Word count: 787 according to AO3 (2 pages)
Summary: In which Dumbledore has some adventures.
In memory of all the actors who took on the character of Albus Dumbledore.
Albus was always a curious child. He never shied away from exploring a new forest or a new cave if he came across one. He always wanted to go a little farther than others just to see what was around the corner.
Sometimes, his escapades would annoy his siblings. They never wanted to go the distance like he did. Albus would sigh wistfully before turning back after being called for several minutes.
"Don't go so far," Ariana would say.
"Must you always chase every last shadow?" Abe would whine.
Albus needed a friend who would stay with him. One day, while exploring alone, he came across a large, gold egg. He took it home, hiding it under his bed. He kept it warm with a charm until it hatched. A little red bird popped out from the broken shells.
Suddenly, it was no longer possible to hide the little beast. First of all, the bloody thing knew how to squawk. Secondly, it didn't stay little. Thirdly, well, thirdly, it turned out that it was not just another bird but, in fact, the elusive Firebird, also known as the Phoenix!
Albus had to repair half his bedroom one day when the bird decided to explode for some unexplained reason, setting several things on fire.
Then, of course, the ashes it left behind. My, my! What a mess.
His parents glared at Albus while he swept it all up.
Albus built a fireproof room for the bird which he named Fawkes. Over time, he learned the bird's cycles of rebirth. He was soon able to contain the explosions, which was a good thing since he insisted on taking Fawkes to Hogwarts with him instead of an owl like a normal person.
As time went on, Albus started going on more adventures with Fawkes on his arm, leaving his two siblings behind at home. He had started getting into dragons, much to everyone's chagrin. Everyone except Fawkes, that is. Albus went on a few quests to study dragons, trying to find some use for them, or for their blood. It was a good thing he had a Phoenix since wild dragons were unpredictable, blowing fire at anything they perceived as a threat. On more than one occasion, Fawkes would fly into the fiery breath before rising from the ashes on the ground at Albus's feet.
Albus read a lot of books about dragons. He eventually did find twelve different uses for dragon's blood, an excellent item for certain potions. A lot of trouble getting it though, he decided as he shook off some more ashes after a rather nasty duel with one Horntail. He looked at Fawkes. Fine. Perhaps it was time to find a new project.
He went back to the books, often staying up late in the Gryffindor dorms while he read up on another subject that was truly fascinating: Animagic. He wondered if he could become a Phoenix as well. It would be nice to cheat death like that. But of course, one could not choose the exact animal one would become, but hey, it was worth a shot, right?
Albus decided to try it. He did everything right until the literal last step. He was outside on one of the balconies, waiting for the lightning storm, when suddenly, a bolt struck the railing. Albus jumped back, only to lose his footing. He fell over into the dark water below.
But by the time he surfaced, he felt different. Large. Lots of arms. Fawkes was circling overhead, squawking incessantly. Albus reached up to pet him, only to see a long grey tentacle. He dived under. He had become some sort of large water animal. As he passed through the merfolk village, he saw his reflection in one of the windows.
A giant squid. A Kraken!
Albus resurfaced on the far shore where Fawkes was perched in a tree, waiting for him. "I did it, Fawkes! I'm a Kraken!" Fawkes glared at him before promptly bursting into flame. "Really?" Albus rolled his eyes. "You're going to do this now? Ok, then." He went back into the lake for another swim while waiting for Fawkes to be reborn.
From then on, students were delighted to see a squid in the lake. Albus Dumbledore went on to become a professor at Hogwarts before advancing even further to become a Headmaster. It was odd how he knew so many secrets.
Things people only confided to the squid since they thought they were talking to an animal.
It went on for many years until one day, the Kraken disappeared, never to be seen again.
The day Dumbledore died.