After leaving Harry fast asleep in the Hospital Wing Dumbledore made his way back towards his office. Light was beginning to shine through the windows of Hogwarts and among the portraits early risers started their daily routines.
"Would one of you be kind enough to to fetch Professor McGonagall for me. She should be up by now."
Minerva McGonagall had always been an early riser. Especially this time of year when there were exams to grade. He would need her help with his plans for young Harry. Exams could wait, the safety and happiness of the wizarding world's only hope could not. He braced himself for the 'I told you so' she was sure to give him when he admitted he had a made an unforgivable mistake over 10 years ago.
He was contemplating how grave that mistake was when McGonagall entered. He gestured for her to take a seat opposite him.
"Lemon Drop?"
"No thank you."
"Very well, I assume you are wondering why I summoned you here at this hour?"
"Correct me if I'm mistaken but I assumed it had to do with Harry. Poppy told me you were there when he regained consciousness this morning. I'll never forgive myself for not listening when they tried to warn me. My brave lion cubs."
The emotions on her face flittered from exasperated, proud, worried, pity and many others. Each of the children that passed through her house she considered her own. Some more others. Lily and the Marauders had been favorites. Now their last legacy was hurt because she didn't believe him.
"Now, Minerva, calm yourself. Three first years telling you the Stone was in danger must have been quite a shock."
"Those three have caused us the most trouble Hogwarts has seen in 20 years. They've almost died at least three times this year."
"Yes, but luckily Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley did a better job of keeping him safe than I have."
"Albus, what could you mean by that?"
"Harry Potter will not be returning to his Aunt and Uncle's home this summer... Or at any other point in time."
"Well then! What finally changed your mind? My pleading for the first few years after that Halloween did nothing."
"Madam Pomfrey called me back late last night. It seems that he had been muttering something alarming in his sleep."
Dumbledore retold his whole conversation with Harry to the transfiguration professor. It took a while to absorb the story.
"I'm not sure what to say except to say that it still doesn't explain why you changed your mind."
"No, it was because I recalled that the thing he wants most in the world is a family. That aroused my suspicions and I sadly had to use Leggimens on a student."
"Albus."
"The Dursleys were never a home. It is a miracle the blood wards held through all they put him through."
"Do you mean?"
"Minerva, he lived in a cupboard." He drew the memories of the Intrusion into Harry's mind from his own and placed them in the penseive for his colleague to see. Her face turned red, she just about stormed out of Hogwarts to hunt down the Dursleys but decided against it.
"How dare they! My poor little lion cub, he's been braver than I could braver than I could ever imagine. The amount of neglect he's suffered treated like little more than a house elf! Punished for accidental magic and for doing well in school!"
She stopped pacing in realization. A small tear dropped from her eye, just the beginning of a salty downpour. Dumbledore smiled sadly, he had already shed all his tears on this matter.
"Albus, the boy's been deliberately doing poorly in school. At first I just thought it was James's traits shining through. But James did well naturally even when he didn't study. I couldn't understand with parents like his why Harry wasn't top of the class, or at least close to it. Now I realize," she sobbed, " He doesn't trust us enough to do well here. I might have just made it worse by refusing to believe him."
"Hopefully Harry will realize that he can finally blossom here when he stays with us this summer."
McGonagall stopped pacing and collapsed on the chair in relief.
"Good, as soon as he is settled I wish to talk to him, he needs to know how important he is. Not just because he's the boy-who-lived. Will you be sending a ministry delegation to pick him up and arrest the Dursleys?"
"Harry shouldn't have to endure the Ministry of Magic just yet. I'd rather you go tell the Dursleys that Harry will not be returning. It should be a nice way to vent your frustrations before you see Harry again."
"I assume I shall see you after the feast to finish this discussion. Now I must head to breakfast to make sure my Lions are all eating properly, they must be as devastated as I am losing to Slytherin like that."
"Fair is fair Minerva," the old headmaster's eyes twinkled with mirth behind his half moon glasses.