Fantastic Beasts And The Trials of Scamander

Into the Night

The great stone halls of the ancient castle echoed with the sound of a single man's footsteps. Filling every crevice and secret passageway long after the last wayward student had scampered off to bed. The walls were lined by sleeping portraits, their snoring joining the snap of his heel along the slabs which wasn't roused by Albus' mission. Happy to relax after a day of snitching on students and spying for the Headmaster. He remembered, long ago, running down the hall in a similar fashion. The old librarian Mr Helios storming on after him after catching him in the restricted section along with his old friend Felix Potter and an invisibility cloak that scarcely covered both of them. That might as well have been another lifetime ago at this point. Just him and Felix before he discovered that forbidden part of himself. Felix scarcely talked to him after that. That night, however, was the spring before Gellert and sometimes he would give everything to go back to that night.

His travelling cloak billowed around him as he continued towards the entry hall, creating an almost haunting figure. Its smooth black fabric had remained in a forgotten cupboard for years, a gift from Aberforth when it felt like they were still on the same side. Now he much preferred to stay safely within the walls of the castle and travel through the elaborate stories of his students. Most recently it had been stories from a certain ex-pupil and his travels which had brought him to New York. An ex-pupil he hoped would forgive him after what he was about to do.

Stopping momentarily he looked into the Great Hall. The tables were all scrubbed and ready for the onslaught of students at breakfast but the only thing he could just about see was the house points system glimmering under the false starlight. Ravenclaw was leading with Hufflepuff close behind. A strange turn of events if there ever was one causing both Gryffindor and Slytherin to turn rather sulky. Something that had become quite a key topic of conversation in the staff room. Yet Albus felt an odd sense of separation from the usual house pride. It wouldn't matter, he had a rather disjointing feeling that it would be a long time before he stood in front of the hourglasses again.

He sighed then took a heaving breath. Pushing off from the wall he was leaning against before disappearing out into the night.

~*~

The Port was nearly as silent as Hogwarts. A few drunken men were stumbling around and people huddled together throughout the docks trying to shelter from the brutality of the frothing sea. With bottles, cigarettes and the local call girls keeping them company, not one person paid heed to his long cloak or his small travelling briefcase. A fact he was immensely glad of as he picked his way around the shipbuilding equipment under the light of the full moon. Not too long ago he would have spent the time admiring the ingenuity of the muggles as well as the sheer will of their working in the continued turmoil that was the British weather but right now he needed to leave. Forging a path through the smog he finally reached his destination. An old shipbuilding shed. No longer used in favour of the newer behemoths built for an industrial Britain and holding nothing but cobwebs and the tin can placed with utmost care in the centre. A favour called in from his dear friend Reeds who at one point had also walked the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

Checking his pocket watch he noticed he'd made a clean break. Minerva would notice he was not at Breakfast and would discover a note as well as a notebook filled with lesson plans, marking sheets and notes on students. She'd manage fine, probably delegating lessons and lecturing with her usual Scottish charm. He'd miss her a lot, she'd proved to be quite the confidant. But he couldn't let his own mess get messier.

He had to leave. And he had to leave now.

Strolling towards the can he tapped it once with his wand causing it to glow faintly. Straightening his hat he gave one last glance around before stowing his wand and grabbing the piece of rubbish before any wandering seamen stumbled upon another world.

The only sign of him ever being there at all was a single muddied footprint, still stained from the walk to the outside of the castle wards.

~*~

Minerva walked briskly through the halls with the intention of hexing dear Albus' backside into the next year. He'd assured her yesterday when she had walked in on him shrugging on his travelling cloak that he was going for an evening stroll of the grounds in lieu of any sleep. Yet he assured her he would be up bright and early at breakfast to help her with organising the Quidditch training. However, morning had come and she had been subjected to wrangling the irritated mouthy Quidditch captains into some sense of calm all on a breakfast of a slice of toast and half a glass of pumpkin juice since he wasn't there to save her customary cheese scone and poached egg from the clutches of Professor Worrington. It was an unusually heated discussion as well, mostly fuelled by the fact that the other two houses were in the lead, so it had instead ended in her gradually raising her voice until it resulted in Hufflepuff having prime practice times, spiting her own dear Gryffindor.

So she scarcely waited for a second after she knocked to go barging into Albus' office. Storming in and stating
"Albus I understand you are a man of many mysteries but leaving me to deal with the Quidditch captains was just plain-"
She cut off mid-sentence and looked around. Albus was by no means the messiest of the faculty but he had a tendency to let things pile up behind closed doors, yet stacks of already marked homework were the only objects marring the office floor and upon his desk sat a single letter with her name delicately written across it. Scowl deepening she walked across the room and grabbed the envelope, ripping it open with one finger to see lines of Dumbledore's usual elegant script.
Dear Minerva,
I apologise this is how you will find out but for your sake and mine, it is for the best. I cannot fight him. I am not strong enough. I. Am. A. Fraud. I cannot keep leading a team towards certain death. What would I do if one of them was to perish in battle? I cannot fight back. I can't be a hero.

Tell Newt I'm sorry. I can't make things right. And tell him to not hold himself back because of how others perceive him.

Tell Theseus I'm sorry I made him trust me.

Tell Professor Black he can lump it if he feels so inclined to complain about my absence.

I'm sorry Minerva, I truly am.

Your Friend,
Albus Dumbledore

Minervas first thought wasn't a very clean one but rather derivative of her Scottish roots. Her second thought was that Albus Dumbledore was officially the most idiotic man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting and her third thought was that when she contemplated casting a tracking charm on him after the incident in Bhutan she shouldn't have let her morality hold her back.

Folding the letter gingerly back into its original configuration she slipped it into her pocket and then rested her hands on her hips as she looked around the room. She had two options. Either wait for him to come back like some wilful stray or gather those she knew to be part of his team and send them off chasing him. If Minerva hadn't been subjected to a morning of thinly veiled insults and subpar toast she may have left Albus to do his self-pity and soul-searching mission far away from her but thoroughly annoyed with the man she straightened her robes and walked straight back out of the room again.

Thankfully it was Saturday morning and due to not being the lucky Professor ladened with sorting out Hogsmeade permission she slipped past the horde of students all eager to spend the day eating sweets and sipping butterbeer and began to storm down the path. No one dared to step in her way apart from Elphinstone who sashayed up to her with a large grin on his face to join her instep. The stupid 'I'm going to annoy you until you laugh' one he had favoured most recently.
"Minnie!"
He boomed and she looked over at him with a glare
"Mr Urquart I'm rather busy"
"Doing what? You look like you're about to break someone's bracket"
"If I am it would be none of your business"
He then slid in front of her effectively stopping her entirely
"Oh come on Min! Let me have a bit of fun! You do know what that is right?"
She crossed her arms and glared up at him. Pulling her wand out to poke him in the chest she stated
"If you wish for it to not be your bracket I'm breaking then I suggest you return to your class Mr Urquart"
She then hurried off, ignoring his protest of
"It's Professor Urquart to you, Professor Minnie!-"
there was a beat"And it's Saturday!"

Pointedly ignoring him she finally reached the wards and disappeared instantly from the spring air.