Dumbledore's Shock

"How did it go?" Dumbledore, who had claimed illness and secluded himself on the top floor of The Tower, took a large gulp of the iced honey-lemon juice the House-elves had brought him. "Did the talks with Grindelwald's Saints go smoothly?"

"Ah..." Tierra, sitting opposite Dumbledore and playing chess with him, sighed helplessly. "Politics..."

"Politics is fun, isn't it?" Dumbledore said with malicious delight.

Dumbledore had just returned to Hogwarts to rest after an interesting journey.

"Fun, my ass." Tierra spoke viciously. It seemed that only before Dumbledore, who knew him inside and out, could he briefly let down his disguise and stop pretending to be so inscrutable or aloof.

"Arthur reported your plan to me," Dumbledore said without reservation, leaning back in his office chair.

"It's perfect," Dumbledore assessed. "Far more perfect than any plan or idea Gellert or I ever had."

"Thank you for the compliment." Tierra waved his hand, and a pot of black tea, two teacups, and an entire chocolate vanilla pie appeared on the desk before Dumbledore.

"Then the work ahead will need to be completed by young people like you." Dumbledore looked at Tierra and lifted his teacup for a light sip of tea.

"Yes, we'll do our best," Tierra replied with a gentle smile.

"I believe you'll do very well," Dumbledore continued. He was about to offer a few more encouraging words when, the next moment—

"Ding ding dong dong—"

Dumbledore felt a powerful tremor, as though the entire world were shaking. The bottles and jars in the headmaster's office knocked against one another, producing a crisp chiming sound.

But the intense shaking lasted only a short while.

"Earthquakes seem to be getting more frequent lately." Dumbledore silently set down the half-spilled cup of tea, then used a Cleaning Charm to remove the