Talk To Me (Albus Dumbledore x OFC)

12 - Journey to Bhutan

Thank you all for being so patient!

I was busy renovating my new house and then had to have major reconstructive surgery on my wrist (currently got enough metal in there to rival Wolverine!) so have been unable to use the arm whatsoever. Therefore, this chapter has been written using audio-input with some single-handed corrective typing, so I apologise if this isn't as well-written as previous entries but it was all I could do unless I wanted to spend several weeks typing one-handed!

Enjoy <3

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As hundreds of wizard-kind made their journey over broken cobbled streets, walking up weathered concrete steps to the ancient monument, Anton Vogel had brought to attention the importance of the day's election to the current bystander's at his post. Red, green and yellow cotton banners swung loosely in the wind, highlighting the electoral candidate's identities as a matter of good faith and personal beliefs.

"It is not lost on those of us in leadership that we are currently a world divided. Each day brings talk of another conspiracy, each hour another dark whisper," His eyes scanned the audience with a well-practised act of a downtrodden expression. "These whispers have only increased in recent days with the addition of a third candidate, but there is only one way to leave absolutely no doubt that a worthy candidate exists amongst the three you have been presented."

Turning his back to the crowd, coat flaring dramatically in the breeze, Anton stepped into the darkened doorway without another word. He needed to maintain the intrigue of those around him in order to gain their trust and reduce suspicion of his, and the Ministry's, motives. Hushed whispers spread like wildfire, filling the void with avid curiosity as members of the public inched forward for a closer look to where their Prime Minister had walked.

Gasps and awes broke the quiet tension as Anton returned, the tiny Qilin calf bundled securely into his arms, seeming to cuddle closer to the warmth of his coat. Vogel returned to his place at the head of the crowd, a hint of smugness and pride lingering in his eyes at the bewilderment of his viewers as they looked on in astonishment.

"As every schoolboy and girl knows, the Qilin is the purest of creatures in our wonderful, magical world. It cannot be deceived. Let the Qilin unite us."

The group had split themselves into multiple strings in the hopes of worming their way past Grindelwald's foresight; Newt and Bunty traversing the winding streets of Bhutan alone whilst Lally and Theseus covered ground either side of the mortar housing, leaving just Aurora and Jacob to tail Dumbledore. Loud voices from countless followers echoed through every passage, shouts and hollers masking chants and song as witches and wizards made their way to the stairway that ascended the Bhutan Monastery.

Albus, Jacob and Aurora had merged with the crowd, positions masked slightly by a large, yellow Vicencia Santos banner held by two of the candidate's supporters. They had been teleported to a secluded back alley and were able to slip into the steadily flowing stream of wizards relatively unscathed, although Jacob had clasped a hand around Aurora's arm in a momentary strike of fear that he would be separated and therefore lost to the sea of humanity. Though they walked with a sense of calm, the trio had their wits about them after spying some of Grindelwald's scouts navigating the rooftops, assumedly looking for any sign of trouble which unfortunately included everyone on the professor's side.

Too focused on keeping her face forward to avoid suspicion from the eyes above, Aurora hadn't taken note of the henchmen gaining from behind. Thankfully, though, somebody else had. An arm curled its way loosely around her back, the girl's body tensing in surprise as a weight at her side caused her to alter course until she'd turned ninety degrees to the right. A momentary glance to her left, meeting Dumbledore's fleeting look, told her everything she needed to know as Jacob, too, was dragged into a side street away from the masses.