Harry Potter & How Time Began

Chapter 31 - The Mystery Of Who We Were

"For such a long time I was focused on others , so focused on fixing and making the world better. But when the war grew louder and you all had grown to young adults; I found myself lonely. As if the doom that lay ahead actually sat on my shoulders and crushing me into the soil beneath my feet. But I remembered my great council had given me choices. I had a last one before he died, that I would see Dumbledore before he did die and hash out anything left to ask that I might regret if I didn't ask at the time. Though many of you would think, can't you just visit him any time?, yes but it wouldn't be same knowing their was time he'd died. The same went for Sirius. As news of the war reaching its peek and death of Sirius heavy on my heart still, I saw my professor, beloved Dumbledore that would simply listen and just simply understand"
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"Thank you for meeting me here" He smiled gently. His half moon glasses sitting nicely on his nose.
"I love a good view" She looked around.
The two sat on a bench, in the gardens of Hopetoun House. It was open to the public and this was a good spot. The house's back sat a marvel in the distance, the green well kept grass was cleaner than most people there and a pond circled the left corner, were two swans swam peacefully.

"This is quite something" Dumbledore breathed out, a wheeze in his voice.
"You look tired Dumbledore, are you sure you don't want to go back to your office? A room perhaps?" She asked.
"No, no this is fine" He waved her off.
"As long as your sure" She replied, giving him a side ways glance. "I do have some questions"
"Yes, as do I , a catch up is in order" Dumbledore placed his good hand over the blacked one.
"Yes indeed. You see I never really had a chance to ask many things, everything happened so quickly and it seemed mission after mission. With Lily and James passing, the kids growing and then Sirius" A sore breath left her chest. "Dumbledore I don't know what to do with myself sometimes"
"I understand " he nodded. "Pretending to be so many different things can make it easily to forget who you really were at the beginning" He squared his shoulders, leaning back into the bench.
"Very easy" She agreed. "I just thought that maybe that if I did this and put aside my present and helped were I could that maybe, for a selfish moment I could have what I wanted but I suppose that's my Slytherin spirit sneaking out. Looking for something I could get out of it" She breathes deeply taking in the autumn air. A breeze blew , raking leaves of the trees and messing with Dumbledores beard.
"And this something that you would like, was Sirius?" He asked though he already knew the answer.
"Yes" she refused to let the tears reach her tear ducks, refused to let them control her.
"And, now you have to say goodbye to something that was the main reason you made the difficult decision in the first place?" He asked.
"Yes" She cleared her throat.
"Hmm" was all he said.
"Exactly how I feel" She laughed a little.
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"The questions I have are only two. The first being, of after my death Horatia-"
"Dumbledore" she grumbled.
"I'm asking a single thing and you must answer not because of my curiosity but because I need to know if I need to prepare anything else, for Harry" He explained.
"What is your question Dumbledore?"
He turned for the first time and they met eyes.
"Is it worth putting them through it all?"
Horatia looked to her old headmaster.
"They will come out better for it, broken but better " She answered. "And your second?"
"Why did Patrick send this?" He pulled a letter from his sleeve.
"Patrick? You mean-?"
"Yes the last time keeper, yes I received this last week but Patrick has been dead for the past 15 years so I find it very unlikely that he sent it and that his time line has been connected to yours for too long for things to keep recurring"
She took the letter gently.
"It's written on the same paper and inc as the letter he wrote to me, he must've wrote it the same time and asked his son..his son to deliver it, when did you get it?" She asked confusedly.
"I didn't , your sister did. It was addressed to your childhood home and resent to her house later and her neighbour sent it to her by owl;She hadn't a clue how or what it was, so she gave it to me." He explained.
Horatia frowned deeply.
"Do you mind?"
"It's your letter" He crossed his fingers and rested into the bench relaxing.
She ripped it open.
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