Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Midnight Sun
The animal in human skin laid at Harry's feet, and as he pointed his wand at the sneering face of Bellatrix Lestrange he heard a voice, faint at first, but growing stronger every second.
"You've got to mean it, Harry"
He was talking, of course, about Harry's rather lackluster attempt at torture.
"She killed him, she deserves it"
Yes, Harry thought. During the last war Bellatrix had personally killed, tortured and maimed almost a hundred hit wizards and aurors, had took part in attacks resulting in dozens of civilian casualties and provoked who knew how many muggle deaths. She was by all accounts one of the most dangerous criminals in Britain, second only to Voldemort himself.
And she killed Sirius, Harry remembered when he had been offered a home by the man, in that distant night under the full moon, he felt hope, hope that would be crushed mere minutes later as the traitor escaped. Because I begged for his life.
He remembered how Sirius risked capture to see him after that tournament, he remembered the glint in his eyes as he gave him his present, how he laughed sharing the stories Harry always wanted to hear and how alive he seemed just minutes ago when they fought side by side, indulging in memories long past of people long dead. All while protecting his weak excuse of a godson,Harry's hand was trembling and he was clenching his jaw harder every second even as his gaze never left Lestrange's rabid eyes. A rabid dog.
"You know the spell Harry…"
"Avada Kedavra", he whispered.
Harry turned as the green light faded leaving a corpse behind, and saw surprise written in Voldemort's face. He raised his wand once more but before he could utter a word he was disarmed, and Harry was left defenseless staring at his enemy's furious red eyes.
The Cruciatus now, Harry thought, but cracks started sounding everywhere as the statues came to life, and Dumbledore stepped into the atrium. The duel that followed would leave Harry humble for years to come.
"And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"
Harry sat in the headmaster's office looking at each of the weird objects that decorated it with a resigned expression on his face, like a prisoner listening to the sentence that will decide his fate. Finally, as Dumbledore stopped speaking for almost a minute, he looked up.
"So I will face him, in the end, no matter what."
"Because of who he is Voldemort will try to kill you personally, and because of who you are you won't stand idle as he terrorizes the country, will you?", Dumbledore responded.
"He ordered them to not kill me. How else could I be alive?"
"You underestimate your…"
"In the graveyard he had me trapped", Harry interrupted him. "But he freed me so we could have a mock duel, and he could have order Quirrel to kill me at any point during my first year."
"You could hardly ask for a better flaw than arrogance in your enemy" Dumbledore sighted tiredly, his whole frame slumped into the chair. "I've failed you Harry, you and all the students in this school, I shouldn't have kept my distance during this year, I shouldn't have underestimated Tom last year or tried to lure him out four years ago, for whatever is worth I'm sorry".
Harry was angry, at Dumbledore for lying, at Fudge for being a damn coward, at Voldemort for existing and above all at himself for being useless. My friends are injured and my godfather is dead, is everything I do useless?
"You don't need my forgiveness, after all five people were hospitalized because of me, and one is dead. I'm just as careless as you in that regard".
"You cannot blame…" Dumbledore tried to speak
"Do not patronize me now professor" Harry almost hissed. "I know it was their choice to go and fight there, but none of them would have made that choice if I wasn't the one asking" Harry let out a chuckle. "Without me Neville wouldn't have the will to fight, Luna and Ginny would be failing defense and, well, Ron and Hermione follow me wherever I go, they've been following me for years, I really should know better by now" Harry deflated at the end.
Dumbledore's eyes bore into him, he was quiet for a few moments, finally he let out a long sigh, his expression was that of a man resigned. "Leadership is a heavy burden, especially for one so young. I had hoped that you wouldn't know that for a few more years. It seems all I do these days is hoping" The old man mussed, then his gaze gained a new fire. "And yet, I've come to believe that the main role of men like us, Harry, is to hope. After I defeated Grindelwald the people turned to me for leadership, I was offered the role of minister and accepted the one of headmaster, and when the first war started they turned to me for hope when they could not muster it by themselves. Your role will be a similar one, I fear, so giving into despair it's not something you can do."
"What can I do, then?"
"The only thing any of us can do" Dumbledore's eyes shone with determination. "You must continue to move forward, doing the best you can, for as long as you can, so you can ensure that those who gave their lives for your cause didn't die for nothing."
Harry looked at the window and the lake beyond it, glowing red with the setting sun; he thought back to his first year when he and Ron went to skip rocks across the water while Hermione was reading beside them, they manage to convince her to join them after a few moments. She was just as bad as me at it, Ron taught us how to do it, after laughing for ten minutes, of course. He let a small smile appear in his face before locking his now fierce gaze with Dumbledore and nodding once.
"Good" The headmaster showed his own smile. "Not everything you did there was a failure, the ministry acknowledges now Voldemort's return, and he is short one rather important lieutenant".
Harry stiffened and avoided Dumbledore's eyes.
"If you wish to talk about it I'm here Harry, taking a life is not something you can easily ignore"
"Bellatrix was mad and dangerous" Harry said after barely a moment. "Where would she be now if not in a grave? At Voldemort's side? At Azkaban? Where he can get her whenever he wishes?"
"Indeed, to hold her we'd have to spend more resources than is reasonable, by killing her you have saved countless lives".
"Then why was she alive?!" Harry raised his voice for the first time in the meeting. "Sirius was going to be kissed for escaping Azkaban, is that a worse crime than torturing people into insanity? Why it had to be me?! Again!
"You know the answer," A bitter smile appeared in Dumbledore's face. "She was the daughter of upstanding members of our society, part of one of the most influential families in the country; so soon after the war I did not dare to openly defy the ministry, it was either that or taking the role of minister myself, something I will never do"
Part of Harry wanted to ask why, it seemed like the logical solution, something Dumbledore should've done a long time ago. Was he afraid? But he really wasn't in the mod to discuss the Headmaster's career.
"Sirius was a Black too"
"Indeed he was, but with Cygnus' death four years ago the Blacks are no more". Dumbledore declared and he seemed to slip into the old habit of a teacher. "After Voldemort's fall the ministry was swift in declaring sentences, but it gave exonerations just as quickly, both the old families and the public in general wanted to bury the whole affair so the traditionalist party did all they could to secure a prison instead of a grave for the death eaters, they didn't want themselves or their children dead after all, and with Azkaban being a torture facility just as much as a prison, well, it was an easy thing to sell. Why! it was the most effective action I've ever seen them perform". He almost smirked. "The elections that followed stripped them of much of their power and when they recover it, it was Lucius at the helm and he was all too happy to have a convenient scapegoat".
Harry pursed his lips in frustration. "By the way you describe it Riddle could have become minister".
"He could have, rather easily I may add." Dumbledore was grave once more. "Had Tom Riddle stayed sane he could've risen to highest position in the country, and I'm afraid I wouldn't have done enough to prevent it." At Harry's incredulous look the continued. "Yes he was cruel and uncaring, but he would be far from the first man to gain notoriety despite that. He would've done so because of that."
Of course, Harry thought. Voldemort had convinced the richest and most prestigious families to join him, to serve him, he could've charmed and lied his way to minister. In a way we're lucky he is a violent, impatient bastard.
"What happens now?" He asked.
"With the ministry? Fudge will face a motion of no confidence and he will lose." Dumbledore stated confidently. "I personally expect Rufus Scrimgeour, the current head of the aurors, to assumed the office; if nothing else he will actively fight against Tom."
Harry nodded and made a point of remembering that name.
"As for you." The headmaster continued. "You will no longer return to the Dursleys."
He openly gaped. "W-why?"
Dumbledore lowered his gaze. "When I left you there I knew I was condemning you to ten dark years, but I also knew that thanks to the protection left by your mother's sacrifice, there was no safer place in Britain than your aunt's home. You came here unhappy but alive and I decided that it was worth it." It was the first time Harry had seen Dumbledore truly sad. "And now, that safety has been compromised, since Tom used your blood in his resurrection he may reach you as he wishes, as you've seen in the ministry, and even in the graveyard. In true this should've been done last year, but only now I understand, Voldemort will not make his move so long as I live."
Harry thought back to the duel… yes Voldemort would be quite foolish to attack directly again, he felt a smile starting in his face, in spite of everything. "Thank you, professor."
"It's not me you have to thank, Molly has agreed to have you for the summer, the current danger notwithstanding." A small smile appeared in the old man's face, looking the kind grandfather for the first time in the conversation.
"Do Ron and Hermione know?"
"Oh no, far be it from me to deny a chance to deliver good news" The twinkle was back in his eyes, although subdued.
His own smile was firm now. "Well, I better get to it" Harry rose from the chair and offered his hand to Dumbledore, the old wizard took it quickly. "Thank you, professor, see you soon."
He was at the door when he heard Dumbledore's voice. "Harry I almost forgot," He turned to see a sharper smile in the wrinkled face. "Now that you will spend the summer in the wizarding world the minister will certainly contact you, I meant to meet with him before and spare you the trouble, but I trust you'll deal with it just fine, eh?"
Harry's voice was firm. "Yes, I will."
He thought of running directly to the infirmary, but decided to return to his room and get his cloak first, he climbed the stairs all the while trying to convince himself that he wasn't paranoid. It isn't paranoia if they are out to get you, after all.
He entered the Gryffindor common room and promptly ignored all the stares and the few calls thrown his way, he reached his luckily empty room and he was taking the invisibility cloak from his trunk when he saw a small sparkle at the bottom, he moved the old clothes and saw a small envelope, with the gift paper falling at the side and reveling part of a metal framing.
Harry put the cloak in the ground and slowly opened the gift, a small mirror was inside alongside a note.
"James and I used this enchanted mirror to talk to each other during detentions, just say my name and I'll answer mine."
His hands were shaking as he carefully lowered the mirror. Harry was breathing harder every second. All this time I could… He was clenching his hands so hard he wouldn't be surprise if he started bleeding. I'm a fucking idiot.
He turned to his bed and took out his wand, he started screaming. "Reducto! Reducto! REDUCTO!"
The curses destroyed the bed and then started chipping at the wall behind it. Harry didn't notice when his screams became unintelligible and tears started running down his face.