Albus Dumbledore has always been a great headmaster, no one can deny that at all seeing as he is the one wizard that the dark lord fears. Accomplished many things, even took part in the first wizarding war against Grindelwald, his accomplishments has been written in the history books and will live on forever. But Finley has mixed feelings against the Headmaster, both good and bad, and both revolving on how he handled the crisis that happened the year before she died. And it certainly didn't help when he suddenly vanished 'in style' as Kingsley would put it, in their 5th year. Thinking of the old man as an irresponsible Headmaster, and a lunatic for leaving a teenage boy to his own devices and lead a group of students on his own, only to appear later.
And here Finley thought, 'The fucking audacity' as she scowls at the sight of the man as she and Harry walk up to him in the empty station.
"Not a pleasure to see you here Headmaster," Finley frowned as soon as she and Harry approached him, arms crossed over her chest as she observed the old man. Ignoring Harry's annoyed gaze due to her rudeness towards their headmaster, though he couldn't really blame her as he too was a bit annoyed to see him. "The least you could do was be honest that you wanted to see both of us and not send me an ominous note to look for Harry," Finley says eyeing the man who seemed amused at her when she wasn't really trying to be.
"I apologise for troubling you then, miss Potter," Dumbledore chuckled before turning back to Harry who was quiet for the first few moments.
"You've been reckless this summer Harry," Dumbledore starts as he gave Harry a look, causing Finley's gaze to be on him now.
'What does he mean reckless?' Finley's expression seemed to ask Harry, turning cold at how cold his sister looked at him. Sure he had been riding on trains to who knows where, but surely Dumbledore wouldn't rat him out, right?
"I like riding around in trains, it keeps my mind off things," Harry found himself saying, still avoiding Finley's gaze knowing he was going to get scolded by his sister.
Now looking at the Headmaster completely, he seemed the same, except his hand that was pale, almost grey. Now following the look that the two Potters were giving him, Dumbledore's gaze fell on his arm. "A little unpleasant to behold isn't it? The tale is thrilling if I do say so myself, but now is not the time to tell it."
Looking down at Dumbledore's greying hand, Finley was suspicious on what that condition was, and she was determined to know. But she also knew this wasn't the right time nor place to go and ask questions, surely Dumbledore appeared for a reason.
The chimes on the other end of the subway rang, a pang of momentary guilt went up to Harry's eyes for Finley can see. She could tell that he genuinely wanted to go out with the girl earlier. She bets that the both of them were going to have a splendid time if not for Dumbledore coming in and wrecking it for her brother. Taking aside the part where she purposefully intimidated the waitress to trigger Harry, she genuinely thought the girl was pretty.
"Take my arm, both of you," Dumbledore spoke, startling both Harry and Finley who stood a tad bit too close to him. For a moment, Harry hesitated, glancing at the girl who was holding her jacket by the restaurant that he and Finley were in earlier, waiting for him as her colleague was closing up. "Do as I say," he heard Dumbledore order.
To his other side, Finley was already holding Dumbledore's greying hand, she looked impatient really. Upset, impatient, just pissed for a reason unknown to Harry. Grabbing hold of Dumbledore's arm, he screamed.
Screaming was not a bright thing to do the moment Finley and Harry found themselves in a quiet street. Feeling nauseated by the travel, holding onto herself so she doesn't hurl the contents of her stomach due to motion sickness. "Where are we?" Finley weakly asks as she gathered strength as she had her hands on her knees.
"We just apparated, didn't we?" Harry panted, looking at Dumbledore with hope that he would offer him anything to get the spinning to stop. He was pale even as he was experiencing vertigo, not that he didn't experience it before but suddenness was going to be hard to get used to.
"Indeed, quite successfully too if I may add. Some people may vomit the first time," Dumbledore replied as he started to walk ahead of the siblings who were still shaken by the apparation. "Oh, I wonder why?" Finley sarcastically remarked as she bent down to have her stomach calm down before looking up once again. Dumbledore was already walking to the side of the street, holding on to Harry's hand, they both followed the old man.
"Welcome to the charming village of Budleigh Babberton," Dumbledore spoke as they ran around the corner to a large house that looked absolutely empty. "And who are we seeing here Professor?" Finley asks as she was unsure of why the old man wanted her here when he already assigned her something else.
"We're here to convince," Dumbledore says as he started walking up to the door and knocking on the door. Repeatedly but not as urgent that it would alarm the neighbours if there were any that were still awake at this hour. "I don't think anyone is home, Professor," Harry points out.
'You have got to be fucking joking,' Finley thought to herself as she gave Harry a look of disbelief. Asking herself if any of his injuries over the years caused him to be this daft, she could only speculate but she does blame the dark lord for harassing him.
Entering the home, it felt all sorts of wrong the moment she saw the shattered chandelier on the floor. Everything destroyed, none of the displayed fine china were saved seeing all of them on the ground. Everything was destroyed in the house, all except for a a chair.
"I think I found what we came here for Headmaster," Finley says as she pointed at the seat.
"Good eye miss Potter," Dumbledore praised, raising his wand and soon the seat transfigured into a man.
"It's good to see you once again Horace."
"I'm back!" Finley announced the moment she flooed back from the Weasley's where she dropped Harry off, looking around the receiving area expecting Blaise to scold her for coming home late but there was no one. Taking off her coat as her brows furrowed in confusion with the manor's emptiness, she exits the living area and went to the dining to check if he was there. Knowing him he would be drinking a fifty year old rum, but he wasn't and it made her a whole lot worse knowing that she was alone. She didn't know where her best friend would be, but she knew that it wouldn't do her any good to look for him either.
It was best that she went up to her room and she did, tucking her coat on her arm as she passed through portraits of the past Zabinis who glared viciously at her. She paid no mind to them at all, she's lived in this manor before for months. They intimidated her the first time she saw them, and a few more visits towards her lengthy stays she came unbothered. Even went as far as teaming with Blaise and turning the portraits around to face the wall after the slurs towards Blaise for his preferences.
Opening a door to the room she was currently staying, the whole room was two times the size of the room she stayed in at Hogwarts. A large window where a nook was built as well as a small shelf of meaningless love books on the side. The queen sized canopy bed with golden sheets, too comfortable to not sleep in but she resisted to. Setting her coat on the vanity chair she had, sitting down in front of the vanity mirror. Seeing her face look pale, her cheeks still hollow after her months in the lake with the runespoor. The only improvement she saw was the dark circles under her eyes slowly lightened, her hair that filled with tangles and smell of dampness now fluffy. The only thing she hated about it were the red eyes and the smirking reflection staring back at her.
"Nothing good ever comes out when you ignore me," her reflection tells her, tone annoyed that it would disturb a normal person. Finley wasn't even normal to begin with.
"Well nothing good has ever come from the likes of you," Finley frowned, as she grabbed a hair brush, proceeding to brush her hair, the reflection following suit. The reflection scoffing as she mirrored Finley's actions, her ruby eyes now filled with annoyance, her lips formed in a deep frown. "Is that what you say to someone who convinced you to save your brother in the Department of Mysteries? Hm?"
"Your brother and friends would've been as good as dead if I hadn't told you to follow them," her reflection scoffed, "if not for me, you would be blaming yourself if something happened to any of them—"
"Shut up," Finley snapped at her reflection, slamming the brush on the vanity, causing the mirror to slightly shake. Glaring at her reflection with a frown, no longer were the red eyes looking back at her but green ones. She hated how that red eyed reflection of her was right, if it weren't for her then maybe something bad might've happened to her brother and her friends. Finley despised how the red eyed version of her was so right that no good thing had ever happened whilst ignoring her. She would think that she was going insane, but frankly that was the least of her worries at the moment. Trusting the slightly delusional version of herself was highly insane but she has never failed to be right, putting 'me, myself, and I' to a whole new meaning.
Biting her lip as she takes her coat once again, zooming out her room, passing through the hall of judgemental purebloods and out the front door. Not bothering to make sure if her wand was in her pockets or if she had a couple galleons in for the knight bus fare, she needed to get out of the empty house. Making it a point to avoid being alone for a while, or at least be in a slightly more crowded area.
But where would she go?
To a place with no mirrors that for damn sure.
Hello hello!
Just wanted to pop in and ask how you all are. Hope that you're having a wonderful day, or you had an awesome one. Stay hydrated and just know that whatever it is that is bothering you will get better soon.
Rayah