The Weapon
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the cannon information
Dumbledore was dead. Gone, never coming back, and at this very moment Harry was glad. As much as Dumbledore had done for him, Harry wondered if the late wizard realized how close his machinations had gotten to creating what he wanted Harry to destroy.
When Harry had arrived at Hogwarts he had been enthralled by the world of magic, and had been willing to do anything to be able to stay there. Whether it be taking on Quirell, facing a basilisk, going toe to toe with a mass murdering criminal, participating in a deadly tournament, forming an army, or more recently searching for Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort, Harry would do it to stay here in this world. He would do it to protect others from Voldemort, to protect this home he had found for himself.
But lately he had been looking back over the years, and began to wonder about a lot of the choices Dumbledore had made, and the situations he had placed Harry in. Why had three eleven year olds been able to circumvent the protections surrounding the Philosopher's stone? How with all his power had Dumbledore not been able to see that Quirrel was hosting Voldemort? Snape was fighting Quirrel at every turn, yet Dumbledore the so called greatest wizard of this age unable to see it.
His second year wasn't much better with him being left to face a basilisk on his own. Dumbledore knew of this existence of the Chamber of Secrets, how could he not. He had seen it open in the past when he was a teacher, a year when Tom Riddle had been present, a man he knew to be the heir of Slytherin. Maybe he didn't realize Ginny was being possessed, didn't realize what Hermione a twelve year old which had been able to piece together. That Harry could pawn off as an accident, but the sending of Dumbledore's Phoenix who could blind the Basilisk and the sorting hat which contained the weapon to slay it had to be more than coincidence.
Third year, Dumbledore either set him up to come face to face with a mass murderer, or he had known Sirius was innocent and left him to rot in Azkaban. Harry was going with the latter as Dumbledore had made absolutely no attempt to get him a fair trial all those years ago.
Fourth year Harry was forced to compete in the triwizrd tournament. Really, as if Dumbledore hadn't realized that one of his oldest friends had been replaced by a death eater. Hell he found out later that Dumbledore knew the location of riddle manor, but hadn't been able to save him or Diggory.
In his fifth year he refused to do so much as look Harry in the eye, and had left him to be tortured by a mad woman. Dumbledore manipulated him into forming an army, one that would be responsible for fighting back the death eaters.
In the sixth year Dumbledore gave Harry enough information to defeat Voldemort, gave the fate of the wizarding word to a sixteen year old boy.
The events of the past six years were carefully designed to make Harry who he was today, but looking back Harry didn't think Dumbledore knew the chance he was taking when placing Harry with the Dursleys. Sure he did it to make sure Harry saw the wizarding world as the only home he had, but in doing so had come dangerously close to creating another Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle was a boy who grew up picked on by the older children around him. He had no parents to speak of. He was taken 'care' of by people who couldn't care less about him and knew nothing of his magical heritage until he was eleven. He sat down on the train in an empty compartment which soon filled with Slytherins and less than seven years later was on his way to being the dark lord he was today.
Harry Potter was a boy who grew up picked on by the older children around him. He had no parents to speak of. He was taken 'care' of by people who couldn't care less about him and knew nothing of his magical heritage until he was eleven. He sat down on the train in an empty compartment that was soon filled with Gryffindor, and less than seven year later was on his way to fighting the dark lord as he was today.
Draco Malfoy found Harry soon after Ron had, and Harry had to wonder if Malfoy had been the one to find him first if he would be fighting the dark lord today or campaigning to replace him.
Harry looked back at all the things that Dumbledore had done to him, all the unhappiness that was his fault and all the terrifying things Dumbledore had made him face, and for that moment he as glad that Dumbledore was dead.
That moment didn't last long however, because Dumbledore, the manipulative old coot he was, did his work well. Harry knew he had been manipulated into this position, but still he would fight. Because this was his home, these were his friends and he had to protect them. Because this was who he was, whether it be by destiny or design. He just wasn't sure that when all this was finally over, there would be anything left of him.