Highly Spirited

Summary: Chapter 11: Parent and Child --------- Albus’s Unexpected Family Reunion
Warning(s): See Chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimer. I still don’t own anything.

Chapter 11 – Parent and Child

“What’s wrong with these guests?*” Albus asked the air as he walked out of his office in an inebriated shuffle and headed down towards the Great Hall. Minerva, Poppy, Argus, Filius and Hagrid were entering through another door on the first floor, having just finished up some chores.

“One night they wish to leave and the next, you can’t get rid of them. One day they hate the Whiting, the next day they want all five courses. When you break your back trying to give them the ghosts you thought they wanted, they scream at you. And when you throw the towel in, they scream at you even louder.”* Albus reached a small landing and looked down at his assembled staff. “They see spooks everywhere. Spooks in the bathroom, spooks under the bed.” He sounded disgusted. The staff looked sympathetic. “Don’t they know when the joke is over?”*

Suddenly, Argus grabbed Hagrid’s meaty arm in surprise as he gaped at the wall behind Albus. A second later, the rest of the staff widened their eyes in shock as well.

“Can’t understand them,*” Albus finished as he swallowed a big swig of golden liquid from his tumbler. Several blocks of masonry floated past his head from behind him and he almost dropped his glass.

After a stuttered start, he looked around him. “What is going on?*”

The blocks floated across the Great Hall slowly, allowing the staff to easily sidestep them as they drifted past.

“Argus? Why are chunks of masonry floating about?*” Albus asked, staring incredulously at the scene. Behind him, the wall was beginning to reveal what had been hidden behind those blocks.

Hagrid’s mouth gaped open before he managed, “Blimey, who are they?” Decomposing bodies of all states were crawling out of the gaping holes in the walls. Half-rotten skeletons dressed in century old rags were making their way towards Albus.

Poppy fainted. Filius, standing beside her, attempted to stop her fall only to collapse under her. Every else ignored them.

Minerva squinted and then squeaked, “Er…Albus. I believe some people wish to have a word with you.*”

Albus' eyes widened in fear. “Who?*” he asked in a small voice.

Minerva pointed, “Your grand-uncle Alfinius and um…er your, um, sister, Ariana.” Her voice quivered in uncertainty as she saw the figures of several rotting corpses lurching towards her boss.

The ghouls surrounded Albus and he jumped as he saw them out of the corner of his eye. He closed his eyes and shook his head in denial. “No…no….no….no,*” he repeated.

“And not to mention your…father.*”

“But he’s dead!*” Albus shouted in denial.

“I know,” Minerva said. “He looks mighty upset, though.*”

Albus turned and before him stood the pale apparition of his father dressed in his traditional wizarding robes and short cropped hair, so different than his own. His hands were on his hips, and Albus saw the gleam in his eye that had frightened him since he was a child as it meant he was in serious trouble.

“And I have a perfect right to be,*” his father said in an angry tone.

Percival Dumbledore strode towards Albus rather energetically for a dead man. He was, in fact, in much better shape than the other ghouls, having been dead for less time. Wizard corpses decomposed at a much slower rate due to the half-life of magical energies. It was also why magical creatures such as wizards and witches were more apt to become ghosts more frequently than muggles.

As Percival reached Albus, he continued his tirade, “…considering what you have done to our ancestral home* and this once great institution!”

Albus turned and fled in fear. He ran out of the Great Hall and into his office. He attempted to lock the doors. He locked the front door and then the back, but as he turned around, his father was sitting at his desk.

“Did you really think you could get away from me?*” his father asked.

“Leave me alone, you’re dead!*” Albus reminded him.

“Not so dead I can’t see what an idiot you’ve become!”*

“Oh, fine. Call me names,” Albus shouted defensively, “that’s so easy.*” He walked over to his father’s apparition.

“Well, for Merlin’s sake, look at you,” his father said, disgustedly. “And for Merlin’s sake, turn that damned robe off. If I have to hear anymore Buddy Holly or Big Bopper or Richie Valens, I’ll…”

“You’ll what? Kill yourself? Too late!” Albus yelled even as he reached down to touch the single glowing white musical note on his robes. The touch turned the note as black as the rest of the notes and the music ended. He sighed in the silence.

Looking at his father, he shook his head. “What did you have to give me this place for? You knew I was an incompetent! All I wanted to be was happily useless. You made me miserably useless.*” Albus moaned and started throwing papers from his desk into the air. “Staff to be managed, guests to keep happy, bills to be paid, and then dying on me, just like that!*” Albus voice was getting louder as he threw the papers about.

Albus stopped a moment and then leaned towards his father and said quietly, “Most people give some warning, you know. Premature senility, angina*, a case of Dragon-Pox, bed-ridden for years...but not you. Oh, no, no, no. Healthy as a hippogriff, you pop off one day in the orchard. And what then? Not a god-damned word, not a whisper?*”

Albus stood up and walked away a little, turning his back on his father, his shoulders drooped in despair. “Did it never occur to you I might need some advice? I… miss you.*” Albus’ eyes watered and he began to sniffle a little.

Percival Dumbledore looked upset at the pain his son was evidently in. “I’m sorry. I never thought...*”

“You never did, you old goat,” Albus interrupted, “but it’s true. I missed you, Daddy.*”

Moved, his father stood and opened his arms to Albus. “Aww! Give your daddy a hug.*"

Albus turned around and approached his father like a nine year old who’s just lost his pet crup. He suddenly leaned forward to hug his father and unexpectedly fell through him. Albus landed on the floor with a loud thud.


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* Verbatim dialogue from the movie 'High Spirits'. * inside the quotation marks means just that sentence. Outside the quotation marks would indicate everything inside the quotation mark, not just the individual sentence.

His father looked down sheepishly. “Oh, sorry, Albus. Forgot I was incorporeal.”

Albus lay on the floor, glared up at his father, and then curled up and hiccupped a sad cry.