The Sleeping Princess

23- The Waking Kingdom

No one had the slightest clue to what just happened to them. The eyes of every person at the party suddenly opened and they were all looking around them, not remembering to how they got there in the first place.

But the strangest thing was that none of them could ever remember seeing the countless flower petals that were covering everything.

At that moment, the king and queen were just waking up.

"Arthur?" the queen asked croakily, as her brown eyes opened and she slowly raised her head to stare around them. She spotted her husband just a few feet away from her and she reached out to shake his shoulder. "Arthur?" she repeated. "What's happening? Are you alright?"

He groaned slightly in his sleep before he wearily opened his own eyes and looked up to see his wife's worried expression. "Molly?" he repeated weakly. He closed his eyes for another brief second; this sleep had to be the deepest he'd ever slept… but then the heavy fog in his mind cleared and he remembered what happened.

"Wait…" he whispered, his eyes snapping open and he sat up at once, his body felt so weak but he ignored it all as he stared around him.

"Ginny," he whispered, and Molly's eyes widened in horror as he got up and pulled her immediately up to her feet as well. He was relieved to see that most of their sons were also lying just a few yards away and were also coming too as well.

"We have to go and find her," he said, noticing the tears in Molly's eyes. "I don't know what happened, but we have to…"

"You need not worry," said an aged voice from behind them. The king and queen looked up at once and were startled to see an old man coming towards them with a bright smile. He was dressed in dark purple that was plastered with golden stars… his long silver beard shining like a ghost.

He beamed at them all as he looked around. "I never thought that I would set foot in this place again after all these years. I have to admit it's a wonderful feeling…" He looked to them as the prince's all scrambled to their feet and said, "I have to admit that as soon as I felt Voldemort's castle destroyed, I knew that the time was coming soon," he told them all. "I came here to help, but by the time that I arrived, the protective barriers that I put up, were broken and everyone was already waking up."

"W-what barriers?" Percy demanded, looking a little green as he sat up, dusting off his fine clothes.

"Who are you?" Fred asked as he got back to his feet and heaving George up with him.

"It is good to see you again, Fredrick," the old man chuckled. "I can't tell you what a wonderful feeling it is seeing the royal family up and about again."

"What are you talking about?" George asked as he swayed where he stood, still feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He seemed really familiar and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this weird old man somewhere before. "Have we met?"

"Yes, from a long time ago," the old man answered, looking straight at the king and queen. "I know that I no longer look like I did when you last saw me… but that's only because so much has happened since then."

Arthur looked confused as he looked at the old man's bright blue eyes before his own eyes widened.

"Albus?" he whispered, stumbling forward. "Is that you?"

"What's left of him," Dumbledore answered gently. "I have to say, how much I missed speaking with you."

"What happened to you?" George gasped out. "You're… you're…"

"I am afraid that I have grown old," Albus sighed calmly.

"But how?" Percy stuttered, pointing a shaking finger at him. "You-you were a young man just a few moments ago! You were young!"