gwendolyngrace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-08-30 11:29 pm
gwendolyngrace) wrote2008-08-30 11:29 pm
Entry tags:
Fic Post: For PurpleFluffyCat
While ago, I had a conversation in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_slugclub about a Dumbledore/Fudge vignette that I wrote many years ago. I went on a brief foray to figure out where I had posted that, back in August 2003, but couldn't find it.
But earlier this week, I had to extract some files from my ancient and really, really mostly-dead laptop (it was a job). And I found some (but not all) of my old posted HP fic, including the one I'd been talking about withpurplefluffycat.
So at the risk of exposing y'all to some old crack, herewith I present a one-shot cookie:
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1,246
Warnings: references to buggery
‘I don’t understand, Albus,’ Fudge turned his bowler hat in his hands nervously. ‘You… you’re ending it?’
‘Yes,’ Dumbledore said sadly. ‘Believe me, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt either of us.’
‘I think you owe me an explanation, at least,’ Fudge grimaced. He would not give Albus Dumbledore the satisfaction of acquiescence. Not when that was so often what he wanted.
‘Cornelius, we can’t continue on this way,’ Albus replied, and Fudge knew he was just trying to deflect things, as always. ‘There’s a conflict of interests here, as well as the scandal. But beyond that… Cornelius, beyond that is the simple and incontrovertible fact that I… that my feelings have changed. I’m no longer a young man, goodness knows. And you… you have a family to consider.’
‘Didn’t mind the conflict when it was on your terms, did you, Albus?’ Fudge spat out bitterly.
Albus looked at first like he had been struck across the face, but then he lowered his eyes. ‘No. No, I did not. And I am ashamed of it.’
‘But I’m not,’ Fudge countered. ‘We can handle the public. I’m about to become Minister for Magic – more than I ever dreamed—’
‘And that is exactly why you and I must end things, now, before it becomes too cumbersome for us both.’
‘I see. I’m an encumbrance, now, is it?’ Cornelius fought off his petulant tone. ‘Right. Well, you got what you wanted, so… so that’s it, then.’
‘Cornelius—’
‘No, I see. Of course I see. No doubt you’ll turn your eye on some junior staff member who isn’t so high-profile. Arthur Weasley perhaps, though he’s a bit skinny for you. Convince him that if he’ll only succumb to you, you can pave his way for him. Tell me,’ he continued before Albus could break in again, ‘is the top job supposed to be my consolation prize? Did you fix the election?’
‘I did nothing of the sort,’ Dumbledore said, with something approaching his customary fire. ‘I could not be more happy for you, Cornelius. I hope you will do as well as Millicent Bagnold. But it makes things more difficult.’
‘I don’t see how,’ Fudge insisted, ‘when it means between us, we have all the power in England to make the world turn a blind eye.’
‘It won’t turn a blind eye,’ Dumbledore observed. ‘Think of your family.’
‘I’d rather not,’ Fudge retorted. These days, the mere thought of his wife and his impossibly spoiled daughter made him want to take a trip around the world on broomstick. ‘I need you, Albus,’ he said suddenly, and then rushed on. ‘I’m not ready for this – I accepted so quickly because I thought you’d be with me, helping me. How can I cope alone?’
Albus smiled, and a tear rolled down his cheek. ‘You’re not alone, Cornelius. I will always guide you, if you wish it. But I cannot counsel you fairly if I am also your lover. We cannot allow our personal feelings to interfere. As I am head of the Wizengamot, and you will be head of the Ministry, we cannot be personally, er… intertwined. Especially since….’ He trailed off, raising an eyebrow and looking away as if he had said too much.
‘Since what?’ Fudge pressed him. Was he about to admit to taking another lover?
‘Cornelius, I don’t wish to lecture you.’ Albus shook his head, the light catching the silver mixed in his auburn hair. When they met, years before, he had no grey at all.
‘You think I need lecturing?’ Fudge bristled. ‘I’m not the schoolboy with an adolescent crush, now, Albus. I’m not a student late for class. I’m not the young man you met, on the verge of tears because of one of Riddle’s damnable hexes. And if you’re saying I can never—we can never—well, then I’m damn well not in the mood to be lectured!’
‘Exactly,’ nodded Dumbledore, and for some reason this made Cornelius even angrier. ‘That is why, I think, it’s better for me to go.’
‘But…but,’ Fudge stammered, and cursed himself for stammering. ‘Albus! I don’t understand,’ he said again, more insistently. ‘You don’t want us to see each other, but you clearly want to be with me as much as I want you. You say you will always be on hand for counsel, yet you wish to leave and fear to “lecture” me. What is it you expect of me? What do you want?’
‘I want,’ Albus said, and for the first time, Fudge could hear his frustration and anger, ‘you to respect my decision. I want things to be more simple. I want… I wish that we had never become friends.’
For a long while, neither said anything. Cornelius found his voice first. ‘How can you say that?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.
‘I have always liked you, Cornelius. Even as a student. You know that. But I noticed, even then, that you and your family place a great deal of worth in the issue of blood. I fear your administration will do the same. Not all at once, and not intentionally, to be sure. But I am afraid that you will use your power as Minister to assist those in our midst who believe that purity of blood is somehow more important than a person’s other qualities. I care about you a great deal, dear boy, and I am afraid… I am afraid that my criticisms would lead eventually to a break in our bond. I hoped that by ending it now, now while there is no bitterness between us, I could shield us both from more pain later.’
‘That makes no sense,’ Fudge scoffed. ‘I haven’t even become Minister yet.’
‘Yes,’ Dumbledore agreed. ‘But your recent vote on the Regulations for the Control of Dangerous Creatures, and your owl last week on the Hogwarts curriculum suggest it. I cannot allow you to use our relationship to influence how I run Hogwarts. I do not agree with your attitudes about centaurs, house-elves, or werewolves.’ His eyes clouded a bit on the last word. ‘Please, Cornelius, trust me. This is for the best.’
‘For the best!’ Fudge repeated, crushing his hat in his indignation. ‘For the best! You cannot do this to me! To us! Albus, I’m warning you,’ he continued hotly, ‘if you leave, I could destroy you. What would the International Confederation of Wizards think about your sick sexual fantasies? Hm?’
‘What would the Ministry think of your participation in them?’ Dumbledore replied, his voice icily calm and deadly quiet.
Once more in the office, neither said a word for some time. Then Albus sighed. ‘We are at an impasse, Cornelius. I beg you, do not do anything you will regret. Remember, I still wish to be a friend to you. You may not appreciate that now, but if you have need of me, you have but to call upon me. I am so terribly sorry, Cornelius.’ He reached forward, as if to touch Fudge on the cheek, but then thought better of it, and before his arm fell back to his side, he Disapparated.
Fudge’s lip trembled, but he stood stock still in the little room, staring at the space where Dumbledore had been. He couldn’t do this.... He just couldn’t....
Standing at his desk in his nearly cleared out office, the next Minister for Magic vowed that Albus Dumbledore would rue the day he rejected Cornelius Fudge.
Fin
_slugclub about a Dumbledore/Fudge vignette that I wrote many years ago. I went on a brief foray to figure out where I had posted that, back in August 2003, but couldn't find it.But earlier this week, I had to extract some files from my ancient and really, really mostly-dead laptop (it was a job). And I found some (but not all) of my old posted HP fic, including the one I'd been talking about with
purplefluffycat. So at the risk of exposing y'all to some old crack, herewith I present a one-shot cookie:
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1,246
Warnings: references to buggery
‘I don’t understand, Albus,’ Fudge turned his bowler hat in his hands nervously. ‘You… you’re ending it?’
‘Yes,’ Dumbledore said sadly. ‘Believe me, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt either of us.’
‘I think you owe me an explanation, at least,’ Fudge grimaced. He would not give Albus Dumbledore the satisfaction of acquiescence. Not when that was so often what he wanted.
‘Cornelius, we can’t continue on this way,’ Albus replied, and Fudge knew he was just trying to deflect things, as always. ‘There’s a conflict of interests here, as well as the scandal. But beyond that… Cornelius, beyond that is the simple and incontrovertible fact that I… that my feelings have changed. I’m no longer a young man, goodness knows. And you… you have a family to consider.’
‘Didn’t mind the conflict when it was on your terms, did you, Albus?’ Fudge spat out bitterly.
Albus looked at first like he had been struck across the face, but then he lowered his eyes. ‘No. No, I did not. And I am ashamed of it.’
‘But I’m not,’ Fudge countered. ‘We can handle the public. I’m about to become Minister for Magic – more than I ever dreamed—’
‘And that is exactly why you and I must end things, now, before it becomes too cumbersome for us both.’
‘I see. I’m an encumbrance, now, is it?’ Cornelius fought off his petulant tone. ‘Right. Well, you got what you wanted, so… so that’s it, then.’
‘Cornelius—’
‘No, I see. Of course I see. No doubt you’ll turn your eye on some junior staff member who isn’t so high-profile. Arthur Weasley perhaps, though he’s a bit skinny for you. Convince him that if he’ll only succumb to you, you can pave his way for him. Tell me,’ he continued before Albus could break in again, ‘is the top job supposed to be my consolation prize? Did you fix the election?’
‘I did nothing of the sort,’ Dumbledore said, with something approaching his customary fire. ‘I could not be more happy for you, Cornelius. I hope you will do as well as Millicent Bagnold. But it makes things more difficult.’
‘I don’t see how,’ Fudge insisted, ‘when it means between us, we have all the power in England to make the world turn a blind eye.’
‘It won’t turn a blind eye,’ Dumbledore observed. ‘Think of your family.’
‘I’d rather not,’ Fudge retorted. These days, the mere thought of his wife and his impossibly spoiled daughter made him want to take a trip around the world on broomstick. ‘I need you, Albus,’ he said suddenly, and then rushed on. ‘I’m not ready for this – I accepted so quickly because I thought you’d be with me, helping me. How can I cope alone?’
Albus smiled, and a tear rolled down his cheek. ‘You’re not alone, Cornelius. I will always guide you, if you wish it. But I cannot counsel you fairly if I am also your lover. We cannot allow our personal feelings to interfere. As I am head of the Wizengamot, and you will be head of the Ministry, we cannot be personally, er… intertwined. Especially since….’ He trailed off, raising an eyebrow and looking away as if he had said too much.
‘Since what?’ Fudge pressed him. Was he about to admit to taking another lover?
‘Cornelius, I don’t wish to lecture you.’ Albus shook his head, the light catching the silver mixed in his auburn hair. When they met, years before, he had no grey at all.
‘You think I need lecturing?’ Fudge bristled. ‘I’m not the schoolboy with an adolescent crush, now, Albus. I’m not a student late for class. I’m not the young man you met, on the verge of tears because of one of Riddle’s damnable hexes. And if you’re saying I can never—we can never—well, then I’m damn well not in the mood to be lectured!’
‘Exactly,’ nodded Dumbledore, and for some reason this made Cornelius even angrier. ‘That is why, I think, it’s better for me to go.’
‘But…but,’ Fudge stammered, and cursed himself for stammering. ‘Albus! I don’t understand,’ he said again, more insistently. ‘You don’t want us to see each other, but you clearly want to be with me as much as I want you. You say you will always be on hand for counsel, yet you wish to leave and fear to “lecture” me. What is it you expect of me? What do you want?’
‘I want,’ Albus said, and for the first time, Fudge could hear his frustration and anger, ‘you to respect my decision. I want things to be more simple. I want… I wish that we had never become friends.’
For a long while, neither said anything. Cornelius found his voice first. ‘How can you say that?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.
‘I have always liked you, Cornelius. Even as a student. You know that. But I noticed, even then, that you and your family place a great deal of worth in the issue of blood. I fear your administration will do the same. Not all at once, and not intentionally, to be sure. But I am afraid that you will use your power as Minister to assist those in our midst who believe that purity of blood is somehow more important than a person’s other qualities. I care about you a great deal, dear boy, and I am afraid… I am afraid that my criticisms would lead eventually to a break in our bond. I hoped that by ending it now, now while there is no bitterness between us, I could shield us both from more pain later.’
‘That makes no sense,’ Fudge scoffed. ‘I haven’t even become Minister yet.’
‘Yes,’ Dumbledore agreed. ‘But your recent vote on the Regulations for the Control of Dangerous Creatures, and your owl last week on the Hogwarts curriculum suggest it. I cannot allow you to use our relationship to influence how I run Hogwarts. I do not agree with your attitudes about centaurs, house-elves, or werewolves.’ His eyes clouded a bit on the last word. ‘Please, Cornelius, trust me. This is for the best.’
‘For the best!’ Fudge repeated, crushing his hat in his indignation. ‘For the best! You cannot do this to me! To us! Albus, I’m warning you,’ he continued hotly, ‘if you leave, I could destroy you. What would the International Confederation of Wizards think about your sick sexual fantasies? Hm?’
‘What would the Ministry think of your participation in them?’ Dumbledore replied, his voice icily calm and deadly quiet.
Once more in the office, neither said a word for some time. Then Albus sighed. ‘We are at an impasse, Cornelius. I beg you, do not do anything you will regret. Remember, I still wish to be a friend to you. You may not appreciate that now, but if you have need of me, you have but to call upon me. I am so terribly sorry, Cornelius.’ He reached forward, as if to touch Fudge on the cheek, but then thought better of it, and before his arm fell back to his side, he Disapparated.
Fudge’s lip trembled, but he stood stock still in the little room, staring at the space where Dumbledore had been. He couldn’t do this.... He just couldn’t....
Standing at his desk in his nearly cleared out office, the next Minister for Magic vowed that Albus Dumbledore would rue the day he rejected Cornelius Fudge.
Fin
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PurpleFluffyCat x