The Day the Twinkle Died

The day the twinkle died.


A/N: Ok we all know how this goes. I own nothing, nadda, zip! I’m just playing with them and I promise to put them back where I found them later.

I’d also like to add I only got the idea for this today, it’s my birthday (21st) and I’m bored for various reasons (where’s Alan Rickman when you need him?) I have no beta as of yet so please don’t hurt me and I really hope you like it. If anyone would like to have a go at a similar kind of story please do. I may be issuing a challenge later! No flames please because I haven’t had enough chocolate to sedate me yet and I might just have to bite you...

~*~*~*~

Albus Dumbledore was a famous wizard. A famous wizard with a famous twinkle in his eye that many famous wizards envied, in fact it was rumoured that it was Dumbledore’s twinkle that Lord Voldermort fought for! Dumbledore was very proud of his twinkle but recently it had started to misbehave. This was not a good thing and as you will soon discover, you see inside Albus Dumbledore’s head it is very much like Hogwarts which may explain how he always knows so much of what is happening in the castle. It has many corridors and secret rooms, many little bodies to-ing and fro-ing with secrets and bundles of information. Dumbledore’s eyes may even be the lake and his twinkle simply the Giant squid waving hello... Of course we know better and that this twinkle is indeed something special! A great light that shines in the darkness, illuminating that little Hogwarts in his head and all the information he holds in it.

One day as our dear headmaster was sipping tea in his office a little ‘phut’ echoed in his head and the twinkle flickered. If it wasn’t for Fawkes this phenomenon would have gone unnoticed, however Fawkes was just a phoenix and incapable of speech so how was he supposed to help? Shuffling his feathers, Fawkes went back to sleep to dream phoenix dreams as phoenixes do.

Three days later Professor Severus Snape, potions master and head of slytherin entered the Headmasters office for his usual weekly meeting concerning all things Voldermort and his ever harsh treatment of the poor innocent students and Potter the-boy-who-lived-to-be-a-serious-pain-in-his-backside, when the famous twinkle flickered again. Snape with his fantastic spy hearing skills heard the ‘phut’ and watched as the twinkle flickered in a manner similar to muggle Morse-code.

“Are you alright Headmaster?” asked Professor Snape, wondering whether he was hallucinating.

“Three little maids from school are we,
Pert as a school-girl well can be,
Filled to the brim with girlish glee,” The head master sang in reply, batting his eyelashes in a girlish manner.


“I beg your pardon?” Snape spluttered spilling his tea down his front and cursing very loudly as the Headmaster hummed in a high pitch to himself ignoring his Potions professor.

“Three little maids who, all unwary,
Come from a ladies\' seminary,
Freed from its genius tutelary--
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids from school!” The headmaster sang, standing now and clutching the bottom of his robes and lifting them high to show of his legs doing a strange little jig.

“Headmaster!” Snape snapped

The twinkle continued to flicker for a moment longer before resuming its usual constant and reassuring beam and the Headmaster to his normal somewhat sane - although that is debatable- state.

“Oh I’m sorry Severus I seem to have drifted of for a moment, you where saying?” The headmaster sat back in his chair and smiled kindly at the confused professor.

“Are you feeling well Headmaster?” Snape asked his brow furrowed in concern.

“Oh yes, quite well thank you.” Dumbledore replied twitching slightly as his twinkle flickered again but continued to beam steadily.

Snape nodded still frowning and excused himself quickly before backing out of the room of the decidedly unfazed Headmaster.

And so it begins...

~*~

“Severus are you sure you’re not just overtired?” Professor McGonagall asked as she and the disturbed potions master sat sipping brandy in front of the fire in her sitting room. Snape had gone to the only person he knew who might be able to provide an insight into the Headmasters strange behaviour... well the next best thing as Poppy (the person who would know his health best) was busy.

“I’m sure!” He growled in reply not liking how his own sanity was being called into question here.

“And he sang?” she raised an eyebrow, watching the normally unshakeable man shudder.

“Yes, he sang... Look can we just get to the point here?” he growled impatiently

“Which is?” She asked taking a slow sip of her drink

Snape sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes before answering through gritted teeth.

“That something... is wrong... with Albus.”

McGonagall looked into the fireplace for a moment, deep in thought.

“Well if he is indeed acting like you say, perhaps we can get Poppy to check him over... tell him she’s doing a regular check up on all of the staff?”

“Hmm... and I suppose all of the staff will have to go along with this so he doesn’t suspect anything?” Severus asked watching her face carefully.

“Naturally” she replied employing a common Gryffindor tactic when attempting to be sly and avoiding eye contact with him.

“And this wouldn’t be a way for you to make sure I get checked as well and it’s not me hallucinating?” Severus cocked his head to one side watching her squirm.

“No, of course not” McGonagall replied a little too chirpily before taking a large swig of her drink.

“Indeed” he said coolly still watching her carefully and taking a long slow sip of his own drink.

“Well... I’ll speak to Poppy tomorrow then.” She said hurriedly, rising to refill her glass and escape her friend’s constant watch which quite frankly was very unnerving.

Snape simply snorted in reply, wondering briefly if Poppy might be able to wipe the image of Albus’s jigging hairy legs and those horrible multicoloured sock suspenders out of his head. ‘Of course’ he thought ‘a large consumption of alcohol might save her the bother....’

~*~*~*~

A/N: Well hope you like my beginning chapter. As I said I have no beta and this is a quick little thing I put together because a) I was bored and b) its my birthday, yeay 21 today! Go me!

I hope to update soon and possibly find a beta as my spelling; grammar and so on needs a lot of work. I am also looking for suggestions as to what you think should happen next.


Please feed the writer as she didn’t get enough chocolate for her birthday and seriously needs a boost!


Albus was singing and extract from Gilbert and Sullivan opera, The Mikado
here’s a link for the lyrics of the opera just in case you’re interested
http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/mikado/webopera/song07.html

I’ve never seen it I’ve just heard extracts sung..... And mostly by men. :o)