Chapter 1
The first thing Albus noticed upon waking up was the pulsating pain on the back of his head. The next was the fact that he was alone.
Did something happen? Why would Gellert leave him alone when he was clearly injured?
The redhead thought of getting up to go and look for his Love, but the little light that filled the room was already enough to blind him when he tried to open his eyes. He tried to take in his surroundings through his other senses then.
He was laying on a thin mattress, it was very stiff and uncomfortable and even caused the development of some back pain that surely wasn't there before. There was also the sound of rain–perhaps a storm– outside and the slight crackling of a fire. The room itself was filled with the strong smell of mud and wood. His wand was still in the hidden pocket inside his vest.
Albus surely wasn't in the hotel he and Gellert were originally staying in.
What had happened? He remembered wandering through the forest with Gellert. The older one had insisted on walking in front to make sure whatever path they took was safe. He'd also slipped on the muddy ground on multiple occasions, having to rely on Gellert to catch him.
Was that what had occurred and landed him here? Did Albus slip and hit his head?
But then Gellert surely could have healed the wound right away, unless…they got separated. Albus could feel his chest tightening as the fog in his head cleared, and he was able to form an absolutely horrible, plausible thought: They must have been ambushed.
Someone probably took his beloved, holding him as a hostage, and perhaps they're waiting for Albus to arrive back home to send their demands. But even if so, he was sure Gellert was fine, the other knew how to handle such situations. Yes! He would be fine. He was strong and he had—
The sound of boots outside stopped his spiralling thoughts, and he tried to open his eyes another time. This time he managed. A woman stepped in, she was tall and frail. Tiny Grey locks were falling out of her tightly bound headscarf, which was meant to protect her hair from the rain, and they stuck to her dripping forehead like spiderwebs. Albus could also finally see his surroundings.
Turns out he was in a rather small hut. The only furniture consisted out of the bed he was currently occupying, a small table with two chairs across from it–one of them seems to have been acquired much later than the other as it looked much newer–shelves with some books and dishes and a small wardrobe. There was also some wood stacked next to a lit fireplace and a kettle on a wooden footstool. Albus was somewhat reminded of the living quarters of the Hogwarts Groundskeeper. He'd been there once in his third year after offering to help with the upkeep of some vegetable-fields. The redhead had always got along with the Groundskeeper and was disappointed that some of the other students–including some of his friends–feared or simply disliked him.
"Good you're awake. I was worried I would have to sleep on the floor for the night." The woman was speaking with a heavy accent, one that Albus would classify as Hungarian.
"Hello Miss–"
The strange woman raised an eyebrow at him and sat down on the more run down chair. "Csonka, Alma Csonka. Carrying you here was quite difficult on my own. What's your name, young man?"
Given the supplies in her home and the fact that she did not recognize him made Albus presume that Miss Csonka was in fact no witch.
"Albus, Albus Dumbledore. I'm sorry, but may I ask how I came to be here?"
The women let out a laugh. "Like most people I have to rescue: You hit your head wandering where you shouldn't be", She sighed, "You're lucky I found you before the wolves did. Vicious animals and full of diseases."
She looked like she waited for Albus to respond, for him to try and explain what he was doing out there, or perhaps an apology. When she realized she wouldn't get either she started talking again:"Your suitcase is under the bed."
Suitcase? He didn't have a suitcase on him.
Or…perhaps Gellerts captors had left it for him.
"Thank you."
The women shrugged at his response and got back up, brushing some invisible dust off of her skirts. "I'll get some firewood." And with that she left again.
Getting firewood in the rain and when there still was some inside, she truly was strange. Or perhaps she saw Albus' worry and wanted to give him some time.
When Albus got up to pull out the suitcase from under the bed, the redhead suddenly noticed that he was wearing a different set of clothes.
Thin gray pants instead of the heavy brown ones and a matching vest instead of the green one he wore before.
How curious.
Perhaps the suitcase could give him a clue what had happened.
The suitcase was an old design but it in good condition. He remembered his father owned a similar one in blue, or was it gray?
The inside was quite curious as well. There were a couple of books on the area and on travelling through the wilderness, tools, a map and potions. Almost like a travelling lab. But why would Gellerts captors leave this for him? He checked the map for charms but was met with nothing. Then he skipped through the books looking for a hidden message or some sort of clue where they might be, but he found something even more disconcerting instead. Yes, there were notes inside the books–many of them–but they were all in his own handwriting. But... He didn't remember writing them.
Albus emptied the suitcases insides on the bed and began frantically looking through everything.
Some of the potions had his name on the bottom.
So did some of the supplies.
One of the books was actually a journal, filled with notes he never wrote.
A photograph and some letters also fell from the suitcase.
The photograph showed Ariana in her light blue summer dress. Albus remembers the picture, he also remembers having to leave it behind in Godric's Hollow and never coming back for it.
He opened the letters.
One was from Elphias wishing him luck upon his travels. He hadn't seen nor heard from Elphias since 1913 after they had a particularly bad fight about Albus' beliefs and choice of companions. Gellert and him never got along.
Another was from Aberforth informing Albus that he had forgotten his scarf there after their last dinner.
And the last was by the Hogwarts Headmaster Professor Armando Dippet himself, informing Albus about the new books Albus would have to integrate into his classes after the summer break was over.
One thing became very clear to Albus: He was no longer in his world