Bound To You

Chapter 25: The Headmaster's Secret

The sour taste of lemon drops on his tongue made him hum happily--it reminded him of a time when it was just so simple... He loved candies, because it's something he considered simplistic in its' taste, in its' shape, especially candies like these... not too sweet... or weird-tasting, just... sourness... like life...

He was tempted to philosophize the taste of lemons, but he couldn't. Not right now. He wondered why things weren't going as he'd planned, as he knew should happen. True, Harry was getting closer and closer to Remus, but... How come Sirius Black was found innocent? Dumbledore shook his head. Sitting back, his twinkling blue eyes looked up at the ceiling.

It was a wonder why people don't look up when they enter a room, it's usually the last place people would look. He knew, because he also new of a story of a boy who never lost in playing hide-and-seek, but had also died due to it. Hiding behind a statue in an alcove far above the ground on a building, it was... sad. He'd only found him when he'd misjudged his apparition calculation and ended up right next to the boy's remains.

He shook his head. The Christmas holidays were just around the corner, and it was time to be happy again. He wasn't going to spend the days moping about a decade-long dead body.

His twinkling blue eyes examined the runes etched into the ceiling, brown in its' colour of dried blood. The first time he became Headmaster and saw it, he'd been horrified. But then, it just so happens that it was actually an ancient portal-opening rune, one that could only be activated once every decade or so. The first time he'd entered said portal, it was a blast for him--to say the least.

He opened his drawer and pulled out a book, hardcover and thick. He was surprised by the events of Harry Potter's first year, every single event had been written in this book, and his plans back then had been one he'd been planning for years. Second year was... well, more or less the same, what with the whole Slytherin's heir and such. But this year... Dumbledore opened the book and looked at the title.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

... yeah, none of the things in the book was happening, and he wondered why. The author had been a dimensional seer, a rare kind of seer that usually appears in muggles. One of the reasons he didn't want Tom Riddle to kill all muggles. He was fortunate enough to meet her at a coffee shop as she had taken to spending her mornings there.

But regardless of whether it followed the book itself or not, it was fun to pass the time by reading what Harry Potter was supposed to be doing. Propping the book up so that he could read while relaxing, he popped another lemon drop into his mouth and started to read.

"See ya mate!"

"Yeah, see you for Christmas!"

"Sure," Harry smiled, waving his hand as the two disappeared into the carriages that would take them to Hogwarts Express. Once everyone was out of sight, he sighed, shaking his head. Sirius had invited him and his guardians and soulmate to spend the rest of the hols in his home, a Black Manor situated somewhere in Ireland. The place hadn't been used for centuries, and when he was freed, he'd renovated it and turned it into some cozy place for them all.

He was excited to see his godfather's house, and he couldn't wait until he could floo over... but on the other hand, he didn't want to leave Hogwarts since it was his first home, and he'd never expected that he'd spend Christmas somewhere other than the castle. A cold wind caressed his exposed face, and he shivered at the cold. Pulling his scarf higher up his face, he looked around the vast, empty space which was Hogwarts courtyard of sorts.

It was odd to see the place so empty, not when he was used to seeing it full of students hanging around, lounging and playing together, chatting practically everywhere. He shook his head. No need to be thinking such things at such a time. He turned and entered the castle, planning on warming up with Tom in front of the fire, maybe some hot chocolate will do him some good.