Talk To Me (Albus Dumbledore x OC)

2 - The Mirror

After sharing a cup of tea and Newt advising his siblings of the current plan of action, all three headed to Hogsmeade to meet with Dumbledore. Theseus and Aurora were sharing small talk regarding the complications arising within the Ministry, and occasionally Newt would pipe up with a question or comment, but otherwise they spent the journey in a comfortable silence.

"They allowed you to leave, on short notice, without any dispute?" Newt inquired.

"It would appear so," she suggested, briefly slipping on a patch of ice and grasping Theseus' arm. "They're so busy with covering their own tracks, I feel my absence is the least of their worries."

Waltzing across the peak of the cobblestone bridge, Hogsmeade came into view in all its winterish glory. There were many people, young and old, milling around sharing conversation, as well as a few other wizards and witches ice skating across the frozen lake. Laughter and voices echoed around, being carried gently on the cool breeze like mother nature's invisible messengers. It felt homely, safe.

The trio wove between various couples and groups, their direction heading straight for the Hog's Head Inn, of which Aurora had never actually entered before. It had been many years since she'd stepped foot in Hogsmeade, though not much had changed since then other than a few extra wizarding shops appearing, but she was delighted to be back. She could smell the sweet delights coming from the pastry shop, as well as from Honeydukes, and made a mental note to pop in after they'd finished whatever they were doing now.

Newt barged through the door first with Theseus following straight after, Aurora trailing behind, opening the door with slightly more care than her brother. They looked around curiously, eyes taking in the few people that were sat around circular tables with hot drinks, steam evaporating into thin air. It was warm in here - the fireplace was alight with bright orange flames but despite this, the room still had an eerie darkness to it. Aurora thought it needed more windows.

"You're here to meet my brother, I expect," the older gentleman behind the bar suggested, wiping something from the large mirror with a dry cloth. He hadn't turned to face them, only glaring through the reflection.

"No, sorry, we are here to see Albus Dumbledore," Newt replied lightly, seeming to shy away slightly at the stranger's expression.

The man turned then. "That would be my brother," He held the boys' gaze with his own harsh stare as Newt began mumbling his apologies, attempting to introduce his siblings and holding his hand out for the barkeep to shake. "Up the stairs, first on the left," he finalised, returning to his job of cleaning the mirror, refusing Newt's kind will.

The boys held still for a second, trying to understand this man's aggravated demeanour but brushed it off and rushed to the staircase, advancing it quickly. Aurora had been a little slow to comprehend where they were going and by the time they'd reached the top of the stairs, she had only made it to the first step. She withdrew from climbing them and instead settled herself down onto the barstool at the end of the long table to wait for their return. Neither of her brothers had attempted to summon her, so she assumed that meant she was not needed at this very moment.

She admired the mirror that this man was obsessively cleaning - from where they sat it appeared relatively spotless, but perhaps he could see something she could not. It had a thick golden frame which seemed to be sculpted to mimic that of rope twisting around its edges with not a single crack in its glass. It looked as though it was the only object in this very building that was cared for and held any value, sentimental or otherwise - even the supply of wizarding drinks behind the bar was diminished, not to mention the condition of the surrounding furniture.