Recollection

By Taleya

Chapter Four

It hadn’t changed.

Reasonable enough, it had only been three years since he’d left – three years? It felt like an eternity – and the castle was over a thousand years old

Still, something should have changed. Just something, not much, but just enough to stop this feeling, this feeling that he’d stepped back in time and could somehow change what happened, like he could start over again and stop it all.

Idiot fancies and childish dreams.  When had he lost that wonder?

Their footsteps echoed oddly in the torchlit halls, fuelling the unreality of this early hour, growing daylight warring with flames to create strange shapes on the walls in flickering shadows, distant figures snoring softly in their picture frames and Hagrid shot him an apologetic glance. “I know it’s early an’ all, and you’d probably rather be asleep, but we’d feel a lot better knowing ‘Minta’s safe in the castle proper.”

Harry nodded dully, one hand reaching out to grasp the edge of the marble staircase as they headed up to the second floor.  Bubbles of unreality foamed in his head, adventures and terrors and faces past and gone kept flickering in and out of the corners of his vision, making him wonder if he’d gone mad.

“It were Hogsmeade she was taken from, you see.” Hagrid was saying. “Down near Dervish and Banges.  Ambush it looked like. Poor Professor Snape, he gave them as good as he got though …” His voice trailed off into another one of those odd silences, another forced smile.  “Remus and ol’ Black have been out looking ever since it happened.  So’ve half the Professors!  Not been a class for a while, what with half the staff gone.  Gonna be a right mess getting them all back, a right mess indeed.”

Eventually though, even Hagrid’s voice faded into uncomfortable silence.   It didn’t last long however, as the background whispering that had been fading in and out of hearing since they stepped into the building rose up into a angry quarrelling pitch from the portraits lining the walls. The portrait of Professor Sasuke on the ground floor was well known as a notoriously early riser and he’d darted from picture to picture, waking up the inhabitants as he unceremoniously trod on venerable beards and dress robes in his hurry to keep up with the pair.  “Look! Look, it’s Harry Potter! Look who he has with him!”  The spritely portrait soon had a collection of followers, all of them vying for space in crammed picture frames, elbows flying and curses muttered as they all tried to get into the front row.  Half of them were cooing down at the little girl in his arms, the rest were hissing and calling to him, trying to attract his attention. All of them had broad grins on their faces, and some of them were crying.
 
Harry put his head down and increased his pace, feeling the portraits keeping up with him at a frantic rate until they collided with a *thud* in a tangle of limbs against the edge of the last frame as they turned into the featureless corridor that led to Dumbledore’s office.

//…will you kindly remove your nose from my ear...//

They made their way past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance, then they were on their way up the gently revolving staircase.  Araminta wriggled in his grasp, finally squirming free and leading the way, running in circles around and up the seemingly endless length of the tower with a toddler’s boundless energy, finally waiting impatiently in front of the door for them.

Here at least, there was change.  Albus Dumbledore looked old and worn, older than Harry had ever seen him, even during the worst times of his years at Hogwarts.  Despite the early hour, he showed all the signs of a man who had been working for several hours.  He was poring over a sheet of papers, wand circling constantly at his side over a map, casting seeking spell after seeking spell.  At the moment it was focusing on Mile End.  As they watched, one hand rose to rub wearily at his temple.

Hagrid cleared his throat, but Araminta had already darted forwards, one hand sneaking into the bowl on the Headmaster’s desk, groping for treats.  Automatically, Dumbledore reached out and caught it in his own. “Not now Araminta,” he murmured absently. “You’ll spoil your appetite for break…fast…”

He blinked, then drew his hand back, parchment-thin fingers shaking.  He slowly raised his head, not wishing to dispel the illusion creeping through his mind, hope trembling on his lips as he blinked disbelievingly at the toddler beside his desk.

She blew a raspberry at him.

“ARAMINTA!” The bellow boomed through the stone halls as Dumbledore snatched the child up into his arms.  The sound of joy was echoed through out the room by the various portraits of headmasters past, many of them sharing frames with hall portraits that had managed somehow to get into the room.  The toddler was squealing as well, clinging to the old man with obvious delight as he peppered her grinning face with kisses.

Hagrid let out a chuckle at the sight and Dumbledore looked up, completely unabashed as Araminta returned his kisses with sloppy bubbles and got to his feet, fairly charging around the desk to snatch Harry up in a bearhug. “Harry Potter!” Showing surprising strength for his reputed 160 years, he swung them both around in a giddy jig. “My dear boy, my dear, dear boy, you brought her back to us, safe and sound. Oh my word, we were so worried when we heard the news about the Death Eaters, and then when the child was taken…oh my dear, dear boy!” The old headmaster was quite overcome, joyous tears flowing freely down his long beard as he pulled back and planted a large kiss smack on the embarrassed Auror’s cheek.

There was a loud squawk from behind them as one of the struggling portrait figures tried to hex another for shoving an elbow up his nose.

Dabbling hastily at the tears on his cheeks, Dumbledore delightedly drew Harry and Hagrid further into his office, producing a teapot, four cups (three normal sized and one transfigured for childish hands) and a plate of biscuits, the latter which the toddler gleefully fell on.    With the fire stoked back up to full roar and gently warming the room it started to feel more and more like a real homecoming.  The headmaster hastily floo’d for a house elf and scribbled endless notes to be owled out and about to various searchers before setting down himself and begging to hear the tale, Araminta seated firmly in his lap, a growing ring of chocolate around her face.

Harry retold his tale quickly, almost by rote, pausing now and then to answer questions as they were asked. Looking about, wondering where Snape was the entire time, both eager for and dreading his presence.

Albus sat back, hand stroking his beard thoughtfully.  “So you had no idea….but the ministry was one of the first notified…Curious. Curious indeed.  Still, no matter, Araminta is back safe and sound and that’s the important thing!” another explosion of joy filled the room, and both Harry and the toddler were subjected to yet another round of frantic hugs.

“Now, I think it’s time for a full school assembly – it’s time we let everyone know that the worry is over!” Dumbledore got to his feet, brushing off his robe.  The good humour in the room was infectious, and Harry felt himself laughing along with them, laughing for what felt the first time in centuries. “And to think that you were the one to find her, Harry!  Chance does work in strange ways, strange ways indeed.”

“Not so strange when yeh think about it,” Hagrid chuckled.  “ “Shoulda known you’d find the little tyke, and bring her home safe, what with being her da’ and all….”

"oh, shite,"  he sighed into the sudden silence.  "I shouldn'a said that, should I?"
 

Chapter Five -->

All Content Copyright © 2001 Taleya Joinson
Last modified: November 12, 2010