Chapter One - When a kind man goes to war.
Albus Dumbledore was a good man; that much is sure. He was a kindly, sage, upstanding example of the light. He worked hard to bring as much unity to the magical world as he could. He loved his position as the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; What could be greater than giving knowledge to the bright young minds of the next generation? He worked hard on the Wizangamot to ensure that the laws of the wizarding world were as fair as he could reasonbly hope them to be, despite the efforts of pureblodded bigots. And he toiled to keep international relations with their fellow magical communities worldwide hospitable. It certainly helped that his name carried a good deal ow power in itself.
Yes Albus Dumbledore was a gentle and kindhearted man. Unfortunately, he was also the leader in a war against a man who was not at all kindhearted. Alas, the flaw of Albus Dumbledore was his kind heart. And soon, Dumbledore would reveal the secret of the horcruxes to the boy. Dumbledore was hesitant, he did not want to ruin what was shaping up to tbe the first normal school-year the young man had had thus far, but there was no choice left now that Voldemort was again in the open.
He was too kind to stop his best friend, Gellert Grindelwald, when his rampage across Europe was decimating the magical population, until it was absolutely necessary. Too kind to use lethal force against the death eaters, as they terrorized Britain. Much too kind to assume the worst about the Dursley at the urging of his most trusted colleague. And in his dealings with Harry Potter, well, the results spoke for themselves.
The young man named Harry Potter was a child of prophecy. He alone, it was foretold, could defeat the most vile dark lord in modern remembering, Lord Voldemort. Yet Dumbledore was much too kind to burden a child with the knowledge of his destiny. Better to let the lad grow and live a happy life before he had to take on such trials. And when he learned of the child's ultimate fate; that his death was the catalyst by which Voldemort could be defeated, due to the horcrux in Harry's scar, he was much too kind to destroy the boy's dreams for the future by telling him the truth.
Harry, now in his sixth year of schooling at Hogwarts, was a fine student and a bright young man. He was just what Dumbledore had wanted him to be. Clever, industrious, and surrounded by friends and love.
Yes Dumbledore was a prodigy of magic. His power was great indeed, despite his rejection of the dark arts of magic, and the power they promised. But he was as prone to mistakes as any man. And his greatest mistake was his unshakeable kindness.
Albus Dumbledore shook his head and sighed loudly. Around him, the buzzing and chiming of various magical artefacts sounded softly within his office. His introspection on the current situation upset him. He realized that it was his own sense of morality keeping himself and his Order of the Phoenix from making more headway against Voldemort and the death eaters. But the old man could never bring himself to step over that line into the darkness. He had to be better than that.
And so, with a heavy heart, Albus Dumbledore retired to his chambers and fell asleep.
"Goodnight Hagrid!" Hermione cried as she, Harry, and Ron walked away from the small wooden hut of the groundskeeper, and care of magical creatures professor. The half-giant gave a jovial wave as the friends walked back towards the castle.
"Shhh, 'Mione, you want Filch to hear you?" Ron replied in a half-whisper which was not much quieter than simply talking would have been. The girl simply rolled her eyes at the redheaded boy as Harry pulled his invisibility cloak out of his robes.
As the trio prepared to duck under the piece of magical material, they heard voices and saw a flash of light. Harry, recognizing the red light of a stunning hex tried diving to the left, but more hexes were falling about him, and before he passed out, a pain passed through his scar and he felt the elation of another.
"Albus! Oh Albus, wake up please, it's urgent!" The voice from the fireplace cried desperately.
Albus Dumbledore woke with a start and was out of bed with an alacrity not to be expected from a man his age.
"Minerva, what seems to be the matter?" Albus was puzzled, then suddenly terrified when he noticed that his strict, no-nonsense Deputy Headmistress had tears streaming down her face.
"Oh Albus! The children! How.. How could he? It's... It's..." She struggled to speak past her grief.
"Enough, I am coming through, move aside please." Dumbledore grabbed a handfull of floo powder and pssed through into the fireplace in the great hall. Minerva turned and was running towards the Entrance Hall, and he followed close behind, only to stumble to his knees at the sight that awaited him.
The eviscerated bodies of Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Rubeus Hagrid hung from the walls in scattered pieces. Printed in blood were various curses against 'mudblood filth, blood traitors, and half-breeds'. And there in the middle of the flo
or, lying on a dark mark printed in his own blood, was the corpse of Harry Potter, dismembered and defiled in every hideous manner.
Tears began to stream down Dumbledore's face. His mind could not comprehend what this meant for the world and the prophecy. And then in a moment, he realized what his first thoughts were, and cursed himself that he would care more for the idiotic ramblings of an insane woman, and ignore the fact that an innocent young man lay dead before him. And it was all his fault.
If only he'd been more proactive against the death eaters. If only he'd given young Harry more information and special training. If only he had tried harder. How could he have been such a blind old fool.
Around them, other students began filing into the hall, as they headed to breakfast. Dumbledore could hear the screams of the youngest Weasley child and her brothers. The anguish of the harry's friends from the DA. And then Draco Malfoy walked into the hall.
"Leave it to Potter to make a spectacle of himself for his adoring public." The words were spoken loudly enough for most of the hall to hear. Crabbe and Goyle laughed loudly at their leader's cruel statement.
The teachers within earshot where appaled and Draco was most assuredly about to find himself in detention for the rest of the year, if not expelled. Dumbledore had other plans however.
The moment Draco's words reached the brain of Albus Dumbledore, he came to a realization: no amount of kindness will cure a disease. The deather eaters were not simply deluded followers. They were not people who could be reformed. They were absolute monsters, and there could never be redemption for such vileness. The headmaster of hogwarts gritted his teeth in a rage, and simply flicked his withered and blackened hand towards the Slytherin boy. Severus Snape, seeing what was coming tried reaching for his wand but knew he'd be too late.
And the non-verbal, wandless cutting hex decapitated him in an instant. The spell also sliced through the two taller boys at their shoulder level, as all three fell to the ground dead.
The hall was filled with the screams of children and teachers alike. They'd just watched their headmaster murder three students. Many of the students were running for cover, and a good number simply fell to their knees in fear. All became silent however, as Albus Dumbledore screamed incoherently, with a power which could not easily be reconciled with the aged and feeble appearance of their beloved Headmaster. After a long scream of rage, the Headmaster took a few deep breaths, and everyone who had remained waited with baited breath.
"This. This has gone too far Tom. This is the line, and you have crossed it! Every last death eater in this world is dead! I will slay them all! There will be no end to their suffering! I will destroy their homes and their families. I will kill their friends and their accomplices! I will use whatever magic I have to use to rid this world ot you Tom!" His shouts getting louder and louder the a sudden hush as he finished.
Nobody dared to speak. Very few present knew who 'Tom' was, but they knew he must have something to do with the death eaters. Severus Snape was looking at the bodies of his students with pity. He'd always favored Draco as a student. Deep down, he could not help but wonder if he'd played a role in the boy's horrible attitude, and thus his demise.
"Severus," Dumbledore spoke up after a few moments, "Are the majority of the death eaters still using Malfoy Manor as their base of operations?" His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.
"Y,Yes. Yes Headmaster. But the manor is protected by..."
"I know Severus. I have a way around the Fidelius."
And with that, Dumbledore simply walked out of the entrance hall, giving a final remorseful glance at Harry Potter. What he did now, he did for this boy, his friends, for all the innocents. And he must be damned to save them, then so be it.