Author's Note: I just wanted to start off by saying this is not a series bashing Dumbledore…this is a series that is bashing the flanderdized version of Dumbledore that fangirls seem to love to write about so much.
Guest: I think the difference between Snape and Marietta is that they were traitors for different reasons. Snape turned his back on Voldemort when he heard that Lily was targeted by him. He was still a nasty man and J.K. Rowling never said that he was a good man, just an anti-hero. Marietta turned her back on the DA – which she never wanted to be in the first place – when she could have just walked away from them back at day one. She could have left before the training started, but didn't. I think she might have stayed for Cho's sake, but there's no way of telling. She might have been frightened, but she could have told Cho that she didn't want to do it. I think Rowling wrote her like Peter, stabbing them in the backs when it looked like things were going down.
I think that is the difference Rowling was making. Pettigrew betrayed his friends and literally died by his own hand. Marietta betrayed Cho and the others and suffered with a mark of shame. A reminder that she chose – in Hermione's mind – the Ministry and therefore oppression over the opportunity to rise up. Hermione's charm was immature, but it was created by a fifteen year old. Of course, it would have been immature.
Snape betrayed the bad guys he joined up with. Peter and Marietta betrayed the good guys. That's the difference, I think. But I don't think Snape was really redeemed, Harry acknowledged that there was some decency in him in the end, but no one else said anything on the subject. And I personally don't mind Albus Potter having that as a middle name at all. Or to quote Into the Woods: "Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what's right. You decide what's good." People can choose to be good or bad, and Snape chose good…sort of….still think he's a jerk and I cheered when he was chased out of the castle.
Don't worry about it too much, though. Probably not worth losing sleep over - coming from a guy staying up until 2 in the morning to publish this XD.
dnck: Hermione's explanation of the Potion Defense in Book 1 sums up wizards in one sentence. They just don't have much logic to begin with. Why else would people believe anything that some reporter wrote about Harry, Hermione, or anyone else that she wanted to mess around with? Plus, he was making the best out of a bad situation and the others just had that kind of faith in him. If things were different, I bet Dumbledore would have chosen a better option. He personally admitted to hating the decision made in the end, even wanted the Dursleys to be decent people to him before ripping them a new one. Like Snape, Dumbledore is meant to be a flawed person. Not perfect by any means. I like to think of him as an anti-hero like Snape, only a slightly lighter shade of gray.
Disclaimer: Did we ever learn about how the concept of magic works in the Wizardry World? If not, all rights to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
This is bad! Dumbledore thought. Utterly bad.
Harry had just demonstrated an incredible display of wandless magic against a mountain troll, lying unconscious on the floor. His friend, Ronald Weasley looked on in amazement.
"Bloody hell, Harry." He whispered. "That was bloody amazing!"
Harry isn't supposed to be doing stuff like this! His magic is too powerful. I must erase his memory of the incident and bind his magical core.
Hermione saw Dumbledore pull out his wand, a frown etched onto her face. "Headmaster, what are you doing?"
"Nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. In fact, it will be like this whole thing never happened."
Ron looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean 'like it never happened'?"
"Simply that, Mister Weasley."
"Harry, Hermione, run!"
Ron barely got the words out when Dumbledore immobilized all three of them with Body-Bind Curses. Miverva came strolling in, taking in the sight of the mountain troll on the ground, and then to the first year students having their memories changed.
"Albus, what are you doing?"
"It is for the Greater Good, Minerva, I assure you." Dumbledore said before he pointed his wand at Harry. "And now for the core…"
"WHAT CORE?!"
"The magical core, Minerva, what else? I must bind it." Dumbledore quickly pointed his wand at her, not registering the red stream of light hitting his back until it was too late. Before blacking out, he realized that any sane person would have attacked if someone they identified as a colleague would outright point their wand at them threateningly.
What felt like moments later, he woke up, his limbs frozen and his wand gone. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that he was in the Hospital Wing. That was when the painful cramping occurred. Dumbledore panicked, forgetting that he needed to have his drink every hour.
Then, he heard Minerva speaking.
"He was using Memory Charms on the students – thank goodness they aren't harmed otherwise – and then started going on about Mister Potter's 'magical core', whatever in heavens that could be."
"I am surprised that he was able to get as far as the girls' bathroom to begin with." He heard his voice, his blood running ice cold. He heard movement near him. "Ah, I believe our guest is awake now. Is his wand with him?"
"Of course not, Albus, that would have been stupid to leave it with an intruder. First a troll, now this imposter! What next, dragons?!"
"No scorch marks, usually they're linked." Albus Dumbledore said. He looked over to him, no twinkling in his eyes. "Now, who might you be? Severus, the Veritaserum."
"Yes, Headmaster." Severus Snape loomed over him with a small bottle, prying his mouth open and tilting the potion so that three drops would fall in.
"And now…" A red light and he could move his mouth again. "Are you Albus Percival Wulfric Brian –"
"No, just don't say all those names!" He snapped.
"Then who are you?"
His mouth moved against his will. "I am Quirinus Quirrell."
"Quirrell?!" Minerva looked at him in shock. "Why?"
"Under the orders of Lord Voldemort, who is living in the back of my head and currently plotting my demise for the painful transformation I put him through just to get to Harry Potter."
Snape scoffed. "If you truly have the Dark Lord living on the back of you – wait, what?"
His eyes widened as the words sunk in.
"I was attempting to seal Harry Potter's magical core before Minerva intervened. I erased his memories of the occurrence in case he would attempt to break free of the binding, along with his two cohorts."
"You lost me at magical core…" Snape said in a flat tone. "There is no such thing as that."
He looked at Dumbledore, as if wanting to say that he should have been made Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this term instead of Quirrell. Dumbledore ignored him.
"He also said he was doing it for the Greater Good, Albus." Minerva added. "How did he get some of your hair?"
"Bathroom." Quirrell said. "It was the hairs from his -"
"I don't want to know!"
His mouth moved to finish the answer, but no sound came out.
Dumbledore shook his head. "Oh, Tom. Why would you ever expect me to say something that ridiculous?"
"You did say 'nitwit, blubbery, oddment, and tweak' for the Opening Feast, Albus." Minerva said in a dry voice. "So, I suppose our troublemaker could be excused for saying something that ridiculous in the first place."
Quirrell felt his master's presence overcome him and knew nothing more again. Until he woke up and found himself on fire...somehow. He blamed it on the fiery chicken that came out of nowhere.
Author's Note: Where did anyone get the idea of magical cores in the first place? Never heard a single mention of them in the books. Also took inspiration from One Misfired Spell Later, where Dumbledore erased the memories of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with the other teachers present, before binding Harry's magical core. My biggest question would be why didn't any of the teachers try stopping the old man from using a Memory Charm on them in the first place.