Dumbledore strolled casually through the Romanian woodland, using the cover of the tree's to escape the worst of the Romanian summer, until a single cottage came into view through the trees.
No, not any cottage, The Cottage of Alice Margatroid.
He is aware he is being watched. Despite not having seen Alice since her time at Hogwarts, he knew enough to surmise that there were probably many glass eyes on him even now.
To that end, he walked calmly, without tension, and kept his wand in his pocket. He did not sneak, he kept his posture casual, he made every step he could to be as non threatening as possible.
As he entered the clearing, he got his first glance at Alice's infamous dolls. They had seemed to have been working on the garden, with many carrying pruning shears, trowls, buckets, and sicles, all far too big for their tiny frames. Two Dolls were carrying a large bucket full of weeds and clippings, and three together were handling a large watering can. However none were working right now, every one had turned their tiny porcelain faces and glass eyes to watch him approach, hovering silently.
Conscious of his audience, both seen and unseen, he walked down the well maintained garden path, careful not to step on the lawn, partly out of caution, as he didn't want to set off the dolls, but mostly because it would be very rude.
The dolls still watched him pass, heads slowly rotating to follow him, but did not move to intercept or harry him. This was a good sign, as it meant while his presence was probably not appreciated, he was not entirely unwelcome.
As he passed close to a doll carrying a sickle, he paused and had a look, his academic curiosity taking over for a moment. He could not recall if Alice had such a hobby in school, but it is clear that at least now, she is a craftswoman that few could equal. It was a genuine work of art, and even so close, it was remarkably lifelike. Were it not for the stiffness of its face and the joints of its fingers, it would be hard to even tell it was a doll, as opposed to some well dressed fae. And on the subject while Dumbledore is no expert on dresses, or fashion in general as many of his peers would attest, he knew good tailoring when he saw it.
He also took a moment to appreciate the cottage itself, and found it quite pleasing. It had a fairy tale charm to it, with bright friendly colours, a well maintained garden, and a small tower on the right hand side, it put him in mind of a dollhouse. Probably quite intentionally he imagined.
He couldn't help but give a melancholic sigh. Were not things the way they are, He could have seen this cottage gracing a village such as Hogsmeade, its creator famous and beloved for her art and craft. Her dolls something to be admired, rather than feared.
Alas, things are, as they are, and now he must play with the cards he is dealt.
Continuing down the path, he arrived at the front door, and, not without some small trepidation, knocked smartly, three times.
There was a pause, before the door was opened, and Alice was there, frowning at the headmaster. Yet her expression was not overtly hostile, just inquisitive.
"Professor Dumbledore." It was not a question, she knew of his approach. "Do what do I owe the pleasure?" Her tone was guarded, but cordial.
"Good Afternoon Miss Margatroid," Dumbledore said, his tone jovial, "I hope you don't mind, but I was in the area on business, and thought I might drop in to see an old student of mine."
Alice stared at him blankly.
"...Would you believe that I am not in fact here to arrest you?" Dumbledore said, sounding slightly more tired.
Alice tilts her head in thought, before saying. "I would be willing to entertain the notion."
"Capital!" Dumbledore said, his jovial tone returning. "If it is not too much trouble might I come in? It is a long way to Romania, and my knees are not what they used to be."
Alice maintains eye contact for a moment, before sighing and stepping aside. "Come in. Far be it from me to deny an old man his comfort."
"Thank you." Dumbledore said, stepping across the threshold. He is glad to have passed the first hurdle, but he knows that it is not likely to get any easier from here on.
He takes a moment to examine the entrance hall. There are few adornments, just a coat rack, an umbrella stand, a small shelf containing some boots, and a few paintings adorning the walls.
He does note that there are two raincoats on the rack, alongside a box of tiny dollsized ones, one coat looks to fit Alice, while the other was clearly meant for someone smaller. It was a similar story for the Umbrellas and rainboots, Two in each, one adult, the other child sized.
Clearly Alice did not live alone, however as Alice led him into a very well maintained sitting room, there was little in the way of photos or portraits to confirm Dumbledore's theories one way or another.
What there was was dolls, and lots of them. Many tiered shelves adorned the walls, laden with various Dolls, of varying makes and styles, but all bore the tell tale meticulous care of their creator. They seemed to be idle, none acknowledging his presence, but he feels instinctively that could change very quickly should he be seen as an intruder.
In the few places where there were no dolls, there were a few paintings here and there, of varying quality, some almost seeming amateurish, which stood out in Dumbledore's mind as being somewhat out of place.
"Take a seat," Alice said gesturing to a comfy looking, chintz sofa, decorated with various lace doilies and cushions.
Dumbledore did so gladly, as he had not been facetious about his knees. "Much appreciated."
"Would you like some tea?" Alice asked.
"If it would not be too much trouble." Dumbledore said.
"It is no trouble," Was Alice's reply, "it won't be a moment."
Despite the offer and assurances, Alice made no attempt to leave the room, instead sitting down opposite the headmaster. Dumbledore assumed that it was in fact her dolls who were going to make the tea. The thought itself was quite fascinating to him, as he had only heard of her dolls combat prowess, yet that was clearly not the end of their utility. Indeed it seemed that dolls infused every part of the dollmaker's life.
His musings were interrupted by Alice. "Since this seems not to be an aggressive visit, allow me to greet you properly."
To that she gives a shallow bow. "Alice Margatroid greets The Grand Sorcerer Albus Dumbledore, and welcomes him to her house."
'Grand sorcerer, hmm,' Dumbledore muses to himself. It makes sense that that is the title Alice chooses to address him as, as it is the only one that is not a political or professional appointment, but rather a recognition of his magical ability within the wizarding community, and thus, likely the only one Alice respects.
He did not muse long however, as that would be rude, and instead returns the greeting as appropriate. "And I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, greets The seven colour Puppeteer, Alice Margatroid, and is honoured by her hospitality."
Pleasantries exchanged, and the old ways recognised, Alice seems to relax a little. Although her eyebrow raised inquisitively. "I must say, I am surprised you knew that title, I did not think it circulated in wizarding circles."
"If I am honest, your name in general rarely circulates these days. Outside of those who need to know like Aura's and hitwizards, most Ministries are content to pretend you don't exist."
Alice nodded. "Understandable. My continued freedom is probably somewhat of an embarrassment."
"That is part of it, But I believe it is also a matter of being difficult to weave a political narrative around. Despite your activities being viewed as criminal by the wizarding community at large, you are far from a dark lord. The original offence was relatively minor, and yet it is one the international confederation of Wizards is unwilling or unable to ignore. yet it is hard to justify the loss of life caused by the pursuit of what would otherwise be a relatively minor offence, not to mention the difficulty of capture." By the final sentence, Dumbledore sounded tired indeed, eyes tinted with melancholy.
Alice, on the other hand, snorted derisively. "So they are aware it is foolish."
"I suppose so." Dumbledore conceded, "But unfortunately, your continued disregard for the statute of secrecy sets an awkward president for its continued maintenance, making you hard to simply ignore."
At this Alice rolls her eyes. "Well we can't have that can we?" she said, voice tinged with sarcasm.
At this point, a team of two dolls carried in a tea set on a tray, while another carried in a steaming kettle.
Placing them on the table, they quickly prepared the tea right there, moving like a well oiled machine, and in no time at all, Dumbledore was offered a freshly brewed cup of tea.
As he enjoyed the fragrant tea, he noted that Alice, as she has done several times during the conversation, checked the clock with a look of concern, before returning her attention to Dumbledore.
"Now that we are done with the small talk and pleasantries." Alice said, looking Dumbledore right in the eyes. "What business do you have here?"
"I have a feeling you already know why I am here." Dumbledore said evenly.
"I have my suspicions." Alice confirmed. "But what I don't know is your intentions."
At this Alice leaned in. "So, tell me, beyond the Grand Sorcerer, Who exactly am I speaking to? Am I speaking to Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, first class, War Hero, bane of dark Wizards? Or is it Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the British ministry of magic, who heads the Wizengamot? Or perhaps Dumbledore, Supreme Mugwump of the international confederation of wizards, a leading figure in the international community?"
"As it happens, none of the above." Dumbledore, smiling. "I'm afraid I am Here as Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, as it has come to my attention there is a young girl here nearing school age, who unless she has officially emigrated, is still a British citizen."
Alice leaned back, brow creased in confusion. "Surely you cannot be serious."
"I'm afraid I am neither Shirley nor Serius." Dumbledore said. "But for what it's worth, I do mean what I have said. I must ask if you know who you had taken ten years ago?"
After holding eye contact for a moment, Alice could only sigh. "Not at the time, but I eventually worked it out."
"I am still quite confused why this even happened in the first place." Dumbledore said, "This is far from your usual modus operandi after all. What made you decide to take up baby snatching of all things?"
Alice scoffed. "I hardly 'took it up', it's not like I made a habit out of it. But to answer your question, I simply viewed the two whom she had been left in the 'care' of to be unfit guardians, thus I thought it was in the child's best interests to be removed. It was a spur of the moment decision, but one I have yet to regret."
She then levelled a dangerous look at Dumbledore over her cup of tea. "Do you intend to try and take her then?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that even if I tried, I doubt I would succeed. For all my accomplishments, I am but an old man, feeling the pressure of age, while you are at the peak of your craft, untouched by time, and in the seat of your power. Had I intended to try, I would not have walked into this room as I have."
"You sell yourself short Dumbledore, despite your age, it is too soon to dismiss your prowess." Alice said. Despite this compliment, she did not disagree with Dumbledore's assessment of his chances to face her. "What is it you intend to do then?"
"Well, you see, despite your… custody, I am still very much Hailey's magical guardian in the eyes of the law, and she is expected at Hogwarts. It was also the wish of her late parents to see her attend." Dumbledore explained. "Thus, to perhaps facilitate this, I was hoping to come to an arrangement of some sort, for Hailey to come into my custody, at least for the school year, so that she might attend."
Alice sat and digested this offer for a few moments While Dumbledore took the opportunity to enjoy his tea.
It really was quite good tea.
"There is an… issue… with your proposal." Alice said, choosing her words carefully.
Before Dumbledore could enquire as to what, the sound of the front door opening could be heard, along with a call of, "I'm Home."
Alice sighed as footsteps could be heard coming down the Hallway, and Dumbledore came face to Face with a girl who he thought he should recognise, but whose appearance threw him for a loop.
The girl, dressed in a smart looking school uniform, raised her eyebrow at Dumbledore's presence, her emerald eyes looking at him with curiosity from behind her large glasses. She had a fine looking leather backpack with two of Alice's dolls attached to it like ornaments, but who come alive even as Dumbledore Watches, lifting the bag off her back and carrying it away to somewhere further down the hall. Her Hair, despite being the right colour, lacked the unkept birdsnest quality he would have expected from James daughter, instead it was a very neat, straight, and in a shoulder length bob cut, with the exception of a rogue lick of hair projecting outwards and upwards from under the large ribbon in her hair.
What was most jarring however was the complete lack of scar upon her forehead, with nary a discoloration to suggest there ever was one.
After she was seemingly satisfied with examining Dumbledore, she turned to Alice. "Hello Mother, who is this?"
"Afternoon London, How was school?" Alice said, gesturing for London to approach her, which she did.
"School was fine Mother, there isn't really much left of the school year, so it's mostly just activities." London said, leaning in to let her mother give her a peck on the cheek, before repeating the question, "Who is this mother?"
"This is Professor Dumbledore, from Hogwarts, the English magical school who has come to talk about your future schooling." Alice said, absentmindedly trying to smooth the cowlick out of London's hair, without success. "After all, Primary school is nearly over, so we need to start putting thought into where you will be going next year."
London made a sour face, but nevertheless gave Dumbledore a bow much like her mother. "Nice to meet you."
"This conversation is likely to get a little boring, why don't you play a bit upstairs? I'll call you down later once things are hashed out." Alice said.
London pouted some more, but said with a sigh. "Yes Mother."
With that, the young girl left down the hall and out of sight.
After there was a sound of a distant door closing, Alice continued. "As I was saying, there might be an issue with that plan."
"You call her London?" Dumbledore said, eyebrow raised.
"No, as a matter of fact, that is her name," Alice said, "London Margatroid to be exact. As I said, I had no idea what her name was when I first took her in, so I gave her one. She spent the majority of her life with that name. She is aware of her original name, as I informed her a few years ago, but she still prefers London, as it was what she grew up with."
"And the Scar? I couldn't see it." Dumbledore asked.
"It's still there, we just cover it with makeup." Alice said, taking a sip of tea. "Because it is an eyesore."
"Back to the subject, I don't think London will be happy to go under Hailey for her schooling, as she does not identify with that name, nor do I think she will be happy to drop the Margatroid either." Alice gave a fond smile. "She is far too proud of her mother to pretend to be anything other than my daughter."
Dumbledore stroked his beard, brow furrowed. "Hmm, I can see why that might be a problem."
"That said, I have been considering enrolling London in a magical school for a while." Alice said, as two dolls came in, carrying a small stack of papers, which they handed to Alice. "And I have an alternative proposal should you be willing to consider it."
Alice quickly leaves through it to check if everything is there, before handing it to Dumbledore.
Curious, Dumbledore takes the papers and starts skimming the top page.
Then, eyes wide, he also starts leafing through.
After a few minutes he looks up to Alice, "Is this accurate?"
Alice Nodded. "I have had this as a backup plan for quite some time, in case I ever needed to rejoin Wizarding society. A more well read associate of mine helped me hash out the details, and she has assured me it's bulletproof, provided it goes to trial."
Dumbledore slumped in his chair. "How on earth could such an oversight have been overlooked for so long?"
Alice shrugged. "Not my fault Wizarding law is so conservative."
"Are you sure about this? I'm sure that once people find out, they will have it repealed. It will work, but only once." Dumbledore said. "It will not protect you a second time."
"It will be fine, I can hold myself back from any more puppetshows until London graduates." Alice said sardonically, sipping tea.
"And what about afterwards?" Dumbledore said, sceptically.
"Then it will be a non issue." Alice said, waving her hand dismissively. "I intend to 'leave for Japan' afterwards."
Dumbledore blinked, "Do you mean that metaphorically or…"
"The original meaning." Alice said.
Dumbledore digested this for a moment. Before asking "And what of Hai… London? Do you intend to bring her with you."
"That will be up to her, She will be seventeen by then, well old enough to be making her own decisions." Alice said.
Dumbledore could only nod to that.
After a pause, Dumbledore asked. "So to be clear, you are willing to have London attend Hogwarts?"
"Yes, but only if she can attend under the name London. I don't want her to feel obligated to live under a name she does not identify with."
To that Dumbledore sighed. "That will be a bit of a headache for me. People are expecting a Hailey Potter to attend."
"Well, how many people know that I took her?" Alice asked.
"Currently, only a few close associates of mine, as well as the previous Minister for magic. It was decided at the time that if word got out that The girl who lived had simply vanished, potentially into the hands of a known criminal, it would cause panic."
"A prudent decision." Alice said, nodding. "It does also present an opportunity. All you have to do is make some excuses as to why Hailey is currently not attending, and then London will be able to attend under her own name. And hopefully, if and when the truth comes out, people will already be used to the name London."
Dumbledore stewed on this for a moment, before sighing. "Very well, I suppose London's happiness and peace of mind is more important than preventing a political headache for me. Although in the long run, publically associating her with you will probably not do her any favours when it comes to making friends."
Alice Scoffs. "London is blameless. Anyone who holds my transgressions against her is not worth associating with in the first place."
Then, Alice calls out. "London!"
A few moment later London comes back into the room. "Yes Mother?"
"Good news London. After discussing it with the Professor, it's been decided that you will be attending Hogwarts next year." Alice said, cheerfully.
London on the other hand, simply frowned. "Joy."
As Dumbledore left Alice's home and began his return trip through the Forest, He can't help wondering, as he often does, if he has done the right thing.
Alice has killed many people in her personal quest for freedom, many were good honest Aurors just trying to do their job. And here he was, about to aid Alice in avoiding almost all responsibility or repercussions for their deaths.
But, at the end of the day, Alice was not evil, and will only attack in retaliation, not out of maliciousness or spite. And lacking the ability to bring Alice in himself, this was the best way available to prevent future deaths at her hand, even if you disregard the fact that she is Hai… London's adoptive mother.
At the end of the day, he must prioritise the needs of the living, over the needs of the dead.
At the end of the day, Its just a few more he will have to beg for forgiveness, when his time comes.
Authors Notes:
Well… I'm back, sorta?
Let me get the chapter specific notes out of the way first, and then I will talk about what's been happening and where I've been.
I run into an unfortunate crossroads where I want to write Dumbledore as a whimsical old man, but I keep putting him into serious dramatic confrontations… Oh well, there is always later.
But yeah, I'm not sure if I got it fully across, but Dumbledore isn't exactly happy with Letting Alice brush everything under the rug, but as was said, it's not as if Alice is actually evil, she just values her freedom over the statute of Secrecy (and the lives of Wizarding law enforcement officers), and Honestly, this is probably the best solution to put an end to the bloodshed. Dumbledore is also supposed to be someone who tries to see the best in everyone, and wants to give everybody a chance, so of course he would be willing to extend that hand to Alice.
London is not particularly enthused at going to school, but who is?
As for what the legal loophole is… well honestly its something I made up within my worldbuilding, and I shall explain it in the next chapter, whenever that will be.
Now for the more general things, like where have I been? Well, short answer is life stuff, but longer answer is this:
I struggle with organisation, planning and motivation in general, and often when big events like travelling, or helping my parents with building the new house, and random events can completely throw me off my groove for often weeks or months at a time. Not only that but I have a certain condition that makes it harder for me to focus and organise, and occasionally it's hard to get my medication thanks to supply line issues and the remoteness of where we live.
And honestly, it was really hurting my self esteem. I felt really bad not only leaving these stories unfinished, but letting down all you readers waiting for updates. But I didn't really know how to fix my unreliable muse. Then I remembered back in Uni, where I used to release chapters for another website, not only regularly, but weekly. Before my life got super chaotic. Obviously I fell off that wagon hard, but I think one of the things missing from back then was regularity, I often had several chapters written in advance as a backlog/buffer, that I could reliably edit and release once a week, and I think that structure helped me keep motivated to keep writing on the regular.
So that's when I decided that I was going to write 5 chapters of every story I currently have on this website in one big lump before releasing them one at a time, once per week, that would leave me with 40 chapters, and roughly ten weeks of releases. So not only guaranteeing you guys get something from me regularly, but it might give me the structure and motivation to write on the regular with both a loose deadline, but without the paralysing guilt of not having written anything to post.
So I knuckled down and within a span of 2-3 months, I managed to get like 80% of all the chapters done, and well on track for getting it done by the end of last year for a christmas release…
…And then I ran out of my meds… And then there were supply line issues… And then my permit to get new prescriptions expired (which I didn't even realise was a thing)… and then my Psychiatrist had moved practices… and that practice no longer handles patients with my condition.
It took me half the goddam year to see a new psych and get my meds back.
I am now back on my meds and writing again obviously, but right now we are at a critical point in the new house finally nearly actually being built (only took 4 years, but who's counting-_-) and my dad needs my help getting things ready, I don't have a lot of free time right now consequently, and it might be a while for things to settle down, But I thought you guys deserve something, even if it will set me back a bit on my five chapter plan, so I struggled through what little free time I had to make sure each story had one chapter ready to post, and dropped them altogether to let you all know that things will be happening soon.
They will probably be a little rough as I didn't have time or energy to properly proofread it, but I will probably come back to fix it when I actually start my writing again for real.
I am going to be getting serious about writing btw, as I have come to the semi-depressing realisation that writing is one of the few skills I have that I can claim to be good at without qualification. Once I prove to myself that I can actually maintain a weekly update schedule or maybe even a twice-weekly one, I will probably try and open a patron or similar service, and see if I can make writing a career.
Sorry for how long this took and how long this Author's note is, but I hope you enjoy the chapters.
I will be posting this general message on every story, just so everybody can see it. If you read more than one of my stories, after the chapter specific notes you can probably skip this bit after reading it once.
