—Dance of Death 29—
We left off with Harry firmly in place as the new Lord Black. Lucius was in a holding cell for attempted theft of Blood from the Heir of an Ancient and Most Noble house. In desperation, Draco challenged Harry to an honour duel believing Harry had no chance against him. Unknown to Draco, Harry had begun recovering from his injuries and had planned to surprise his overconfident rival. Harry defeated Draco in the duel and claimed what was left in the Malfoy coffers. To increase the prize, Draco had added the content of Bellatrix Lestrange's vault as well.
Narcissa and Draco were obligated to sign magically binding loyalty contracts and were moved to Grimmauld Place where they would serve the House of Black for three years. While there, Narcissa interrupted Mundungus Fletcher as he was attempting to rob the house. Once Harry arrived, he recognised the feel of a locket and identified it as a Horcrux.
The story picks up two weeks after these events.
Special thanks to 'Just William' for Beta Reading and helping make the story better
Chapter 29: Awkward Moments
—Dance of Death 29—
Synopsis
The Dursleys were not happy about the boys sneaking out to attend Sirius' will reading. Especially when they heard Harry had to duel another wizard. The fact that he won didn't seem to matter very much to Petunia, but Harry could tell Vernon was pleased. His Uncle had listened very intensely to Dudley's blow-by-blow review of the duel. Petunia was simply plain furious with both. The fact that Harry's motorcycle broke down while Remus was driving it back didn't help matters.
The fifty thousand pounds Sirius had left them cushioned Vernon's anger a bit. He was now officially no longer angry. You couldn't say he was happy, but he was not angry either. One of 'his boys' beat the stuffing out of a pompous wizard who needed to be taken down a few notches. Then, he had an extra fifty thousand pounds given to him by a wizard he found quite entertaining. The man's death was unfortunate, but Harry seemed to be coping. Harry noted that Vernon looked downright proud when Harry thanked him for the Boxing lessons. Vernon's pride was obvious to them all.
By New Year's day, Petunia was no longer angry and the Dursley's soon packed up and headed to Boston. After one more last-ditch effort to persuade Harry to join them, they said their goodbyes and Harry moved into Grimmauld Place on January 6th, 1996. Dobby and Pipsey quietly gave him support and encouragement. Kreacher didn't like having other house elves in his house, but they agreed not to encroach, and he grudgingly stopped complaining.
Andromeda had partially moved into the house with Ted. They recognised the need to live in a location with better wards, they just weren't quite ready to make it permanent. Nymphadora had also moved in, but being a young adult, she was in and out frequently. Draco and Narcissa had taken up permanent residence and things were a bit awkward at times. Lucius was in a ministry holding cell and Malfoy Manor had been raided by the ministry with permission from Narcissa. Numerous dark objects were collected and destroyed, unfortunately adding to Lucius' charges.
Narcissa was glad he was no longer within reach of the Dark Lord. Speaking of which, Voldemort and his Deatheaters had left the Manor once the Aurors arrived. Narcissa arranged a team of Goblins to seal up the Manor and had the wards turned back on to prevent any non-Malfoy from entering. She had now officially declared her position and there was no going back. If Voldemort won, she would be horrifically punished.
Dr. Gains would be back from her holiday next week and Harry had a session planned. His sessions with her had turned into something he looked forward to. His sessions were less frequent now, but far more in depth. He was focusing less on the past and more on the future. She helped him gain a more holistic perspective. She helped him confront his pain and anger, while also accepting what he could not change. Who knows, he might even be able to share a common room with Cho or Hannah and not curse either of them. Maybe.
Harry hadn't been back to Grimmauld Place since the day he discovered the Horcrux locket. Bill had informed him that Dumbledore came and collected it. Everyone involved was sworn to secrecy and apparently, Dumbledore had forced binding oaths of secrecy on everyone present. Apparently, he was persuasive to the point of being threatening. Bill had refused as he already knew about the Horcruxes and was an active part of the plan to track and destroy any others that may be out there.
Harry moved into Grimmauld Place on a Saturday. With Dobby and Pipsey's help, he managed to get all his belongings moved in less than an hour. Walking through the only home he had ever known was an emotional experience. He knew Privet Drive would likely be destroyed once the Blood Wards fell (Vernon had over-insured the property). That meant that he may never have to see it again. On a whim, he took a little extra time and tended his garden… not easily given all the tools were packed up and sent to Boston. Still, he wanted to say goodbye to his Roses and the small Oak tree in back. With a last look into his cupboard, he locked up and let Dobby apparate him to Grimmauld Place. His new home.
Harry was put in the Master Bedroom suite even though he had tried to get Andromeda and Ted to take it. She insisted that he should have it as the next Lord Black. Harry couldn't help but wonder if there had been a discussion between Andromeda and Narcissa on who would have the Master Suite. Had he been the compromise? There were two other large guest bedrooms with suites, so they would be fine. Draco had moved into a normal sized empty bedroom and Narcissa took one of the two guest suites. Ted and Andromeda reserved the other. For now, they were staying in their own home. There – the Black family had moved home. One big dysfunctional group of misfits.
—Dance of Death 29—
Grimmauld Place
January 7, 1996
Saturday Morning
Harry and Tonks had just gotten back from a workout at the Boxing club and Harry went up to shower. He missed the jogging that they used to do, but it was now Apparition only. Bill had begun hinting that even that was too dangerous. If Narcissa could find him, then it stood to reason others could as well. Narcissa just shrugged and said she got lucky. He knew it was a topic for tonight's Order meeting. He had considered just volunteering not to return, but he was curious as to what the Order would say.
Dobby and Kreacher had helped him convert the attic into a gym, so that he could at least keep in shape. Add in a heavy weight punch bag and a speed bag… with a little luck, he wouldn't regress quite so much. As much as he'd miss the gym, it would kill him if Lou or any of the people he trained with were killed by Deatheaters. Harry craved the combat training he had been getting, and he needed sparring partners to stay sharp, but he wouldn't put any other members in danger. He'd just tell Lou he was leaving for Boston with the Dursleys. Lou had no idea they had already left.
He went to relax in the library and saw Draco reading a magazine. Alright, might as well break the ice. He approached the other teen and noticed he had a Quidditch magazine from France. That was new.
"Malfoy." Harry tried to sound neutral. This was awkward.
"Potter" Harry noticed Draco never actually looked up.
After a moment of silence, Harry asked, "Do you follow the French league?"
Draco looked up, "Not really. But they have a few new players that I follow. They've pretty much all switched over to the Firebolt. Even the keepers." He scrunched up his face at that. "Why on earth would a keeper want a Firebolt?"
Harry was shocked at that. "That makes no sense. Do you mind…?" Harry picked up the magazine. After thumbing through it a moment he found a photo. "Check this out."
He placed the image of a team on the table. "Can you use an enlargement charm? The wards block the trace…"
Draco lazily shrugged and enlarged the photo.
Harry pointed at the keeper, "Look, it's only made to look like a Firebolt. The shaft is all wrong. And check out the stirrups, they look to be more like a high end Cleansweep model. This is either not a Firebolt or it's a custom job."
Draco looked intently at the image. "Good eye, Potter. You know your brooms." Surprisingly, there was no sarcasm there.
"Well, when you bunk with a Weasley, you see and hear about Quidditch all day, every day." Despite how much Ron had let him down, he missed talking about Quidditch with him.
"Well, better than Crabbe and Goyle. Those two seem to spend hours discussing the various beater bats of all things."
"Are you telling me there are different variations in beater bats?" This was new. The twins never seemed to care which bat they were using. Well, maybe they did.
"You wouldn't believe how customised they can be. Size, weight, length, balance point, even the COP is tracked." Despite his tone, Draco looked like he missed his friends. Well, he called them Crabbe and Goyle, so they couldn't be that close.
Harry wondered, "What does 'COP' stand for?"
Draco looked over and realised he was in a conversation. "COP stands for Centre of Percussion. It's a point where little or no vibration would occur if you strike there. New bats have a coloured band around that point. It wears away over time." Draco turned to an advertisement and Harry saw it addressed the different schematics and clearly showed a red band around the thickest point.
Harry thought about that a minute. It made sense that beaters would be fanatical about their bats. Just like chasers were about their brooms and gloves. And seekers practically worshipped their brooms.
Draco took a deep breath and once he had Harry's attention, he said, "I want to thank you, Potter. You helped my family out of a tough spot. Even my dad is better off away from… You-Know-Who. I'm also sorry about the… well, some of the things I've said. Mocking your parents was poor form. I hope you'll accept my apology." It looked like Draco had struggled with the apology.
"I'm know I was rough on you in the pit. It needed to be authentic to ensure no reprisals. And… let's be honest, you kind of had it coming." After another awkward moment, Harry added, "But we're both here now. We'll be the only teenagers in the house, and we should try to get along. I can be civil. Lord knows I've been civil to people who have done worse."
"Civil. I can do civil as well. And for the record, I never hexed you when you didn't have a wand. Just in case you wondered. Still, hearing my insults tossed back at me… Yes, I can be civil. I am, after all, your 'Bannerman'."
Harry nodded. "Well we both like Quidditch. There's that. Do you have any idea what a 'Bannerman' is?"
Draco laughed and shook his head. "It means I carry the banner for house Black. As the heir, you lead, and I basically follow your lead. It keeps me away from the Deatheaters and their children." Draco shrugged and added, "Not that I'm complaining. You can't easily be in their circles without commitment."
Harry considered this a minute. "House Black has good lawyers."
Draco barked out a laugh and said, "You have no idea."
Harry gave Draco an odd look and asked, "What do you mean?"
"The Iopos law firm chooses one main family in each region to represent. Well, Usually only one. My father tried to get their representation and nearly succeeded. But a slight majority apparently wasn't ready to give up on you." With a smirk he added, "You surprised us all." *
Harry knew he should just let it go, but he pressed on, "When was that?"
"When you were a baby. Then again after you 'supposedly' lost your magic." With the 'supposedly' comment Draco smirked a bit.
"But I was still a Potter when I was a baby."
"Arcturus did something that got them to focus on you. But then you just disappeared for a decade." Draco was shocked at how little Harry knew. "You should ask Aunt Andromeda to go over rules of ascension within the different families. Some are quite simple; others are ridiculously complex." It took a lot of effort to remain neutral, but he was Harry's Bannerman. He had no choice. It was, however, a far better option than being in service to you-know-who.
"Right." Considering a moment, Harry added, "Thanks."
Harry considered that it could have been worse. Still, he planned to force Draco to act like his Bannerman when they went back to Hogwarts for their OWLs. He couldn't let the pompous git off too easily. He might make him carry Hermione's books around… Maybe he would even make him wear a tiara.
Harry was looking forward to that.
—Dance of Death 29—
Grimmauld Place
January 7, 1996
Saturday Evening
Harry spent most of the afternoon reading over different Runic combinations in the Black library. It wasn't anything he didn't already know, but it was interesting to read about Runes in Old English. The Blacks were nowhere near as knowledgeable of Runes as they were curses and Dark Magic.
Kreacher soon brought him tea and announced that he was wanted downstairs.
Harry put away the tome he was reading and went down the stairs. He felt the wards transition as he entered the first floor. This was the only floor that Order members were allowed on. Bill met him in the hallway. It was always good to see Bill. He was more than a little pissed about the will reading, but he got past it.
"Hey, Bill. Anything you can share?"
"Well, the raid on Malfoy Manor resulted in quite a few surprises. You know who and his followers had to leave quickly to avoid detection and they left a lot of evidence behind. Amelia is having a field day now and Fudge is struggling to keep his version of the truth believable. A number of Aurors and Hit-Wizards are now openly discussing his return."
"What did they find at the Manor?"
"Well, all the house elves had been eaten. Priceless family artefacts had been destroyed. There were signs of an enormous amount of Snake droppings… apparently the smell was terrible. It was obvious there were many people in the Manor who had fled but left a few personal effects behind. You know, toothbrushes and the like. The vault which Narcissa told us about was full of some terrible objects, but no other Horcruxes. Lucius is looking at a long stay in prison. Oddly, he seems to prefer being in prison, so… win-win."
"How much did the loss of the Malfoy funds hurt the Deatheater cause?"
"Apparently, a lot. The Nott's and the Parkinson's are now being driven to insolvency. The Selwyn's and Travers' are right behind them. The rest just don't have the funds to spare. You-know-who was so angry he wanted to destroy Malfoy Manor, but it's already in stasis and he'd tip his hand if he tried. He probably has a few emergency stashes scattered around, but he needs real funds."
"Nice." Harry liked getting good news. "Anything else?"
"Well, Mundungus is no longer allowed in Grimmauld Place and has been taken off the ward scheme, per Andromeda… but you knew that. Albus is having to meet with him privately." Seeing Harry smirk, he added, "Don't underestimate Fletcher, Harry. He brings valuable insight to the order. He works in… less respectable places."
"As long as he doesn't come around here."
"Yeah. Speaking of private meetings, Albus has requested your time. To clear the air. He is sincere in wanting to improve relations, Harry. Hear him out." Seeing Harry looking pensive, Bill added, "You might need him."
"Whatever." Shite.
Bill led Harry into the study, where Andromeda and Dumbledore were sitting. They seemed to be engrossed in some discussion or another. It did not appear to be either friendly or antagonistic. He heard something about Narcissa and Draco, but they stopped talking soon after he entered.
Dumbledore rose. "Harry, so good to see you. I trust you are settling in."
"Yes. Sir." Harry added 'sir' when Andromeda gave him that look.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Bill sat down near Andromeda. Good, they weren't leaving.
"So, Harry, I regret to inform you that you can no longer attend training in the Gymnasium you have been frequenting. It's simply too dangerous."
"I see." Harry was saying as little as possible.
"This shouldn't come as a surprise as Miss Tonks has already informed us that you were inclined to end your membership to protect the many individuals you have gotten to know there."
"I'm not surprised, and I planned to end my membership. I just wanted to see if you would tell me or if you would let my guardian tell me." Sorry Andromeda, but it should have come from you.
Andromeda raised one eyebrow, "I agreed to let Albus tell you, Harry. There is no need to be confrontational."
Harry looked at her, "You've never seen me 'confrontational' before." If she thought Tonks could be a handful…
Bill calmly said, "Harry…"
That shook Harry out of it. Dumbledore always brings out his worst traits. Now he was snapping at Andromeda.
Harry calmed down a bit. "Alright. Is there anything else?" Of course, there was. Why did I even ask?
Albus Dumbledore took a deep breath and sighed. "Please have a seat, Harry. I think we are overdue for a long and heartfelt conversation. To… clear the air."
"Why do we need to clear the air? I'm fine with the way things are. I'll earn my OWLs and we can go our separate ways. Headmaster, I sincerely wish I could avoid your school altogether. One week to evaluate my progress, then one week for my OWLs. After that, I may just go and live with the Dursleys until you manage to take care of Voldemort."
There was an awkward silence. This made the awkwardness of his talk with Draco seem positively jubilant in comparison.
Andromeda finally spoke up, "Harry, your magic is clearly returning, and you are the next Lord Black. Dark Lord aside, you need to get your NEWTs."
"I hear Beauxbatons has an excellent NEWT program. Why do I need to go to Hogwarts? Honestly, Andromeda. You have no idea what Hogwarts has been like for me."
Albus had learned the hard way not to press Harry when he was in a rebellious mood. "Very well. If you wish to attend Beauxbatons, I will not stand in your way. But I still think we need to clear the air. There are lives at stake and we need to learn to work together."
Harry reluctantly sat down. Maybe this would be good. He could ask the questions he really wanted to know. He had so many questions…
Dumbledore asked him a question before he could ask one of his own. "Harry, I must know, have you discussed your scar or the existence of Horcruxes with your therapist? It is crucial that we keep this secret."
"God no! We talk about my issues and dealing with the failures of so many people I trusted." Yes, it was a barbed comment.
Albus looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear that, Harry. I cannot impress on you enough how important it is that no one finds out about the existence of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
Harry decided to just dive in. "So, here's a question I'd love to know. When you caught the Deatheater listening to the prophecy about me, why did you let him go? You knew he'd return to his master and target a baby… Target me."
Dumbledore gave Harry an odd look. "Harry, where did you hear about that? Was it one of the memories your mother passed on to you? Did she think I just let the spy take the knowledge back to Voldemort?"
Harry nodded, "You needed him to. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. And you were losing."
Albus sadly looked down a moment. "No, Harry. My brother Aberforth caught the Deatheater that was eavesdropping. I only found out after the fact. It pains me that your mother never knew that… I always assumed she knew."
"She never trusted you." Harry took note that his comment seemed to cause pain to his ex-headmaster. Good. Still, so much of her anger and his was wrapped up in the fact that they believed Albus Dumbledore had allowed the prophecy to get back to Voldemort.
"I know it was Snape. I know you shield him even though he's a Deatheater."
Dumbledore didn't say anything. Bill and Andromeda looked confused and bothered. This was obviously news to them.
Harry pressed on, "The Potions requirement for an 'Outstanding' score on the OWLs to progress to NEWT Potion studies. Why do you let that stand?"
Albus calmly smiled. He was in his grandfatherly demeanour. "Ah. No doubt you listened to your godfather's opinions. Harry, do you know that NEWT potions is the most dangerous subject at Hogwarts. The professor before Severus allowed 'Exceeds Expectations' scores into his NEWT potions and we had multiple injuries together with three fatalities. Would you be shocked to learn that since Professor Snape raised the requirement, we have yet to experience a major potions accident? You may complain about Professor Snape's teaching methods but know that I support the decision to raise the standard one hundred percent. Remember, the grading on the OWLs and the NEWTs are not overseen by Professor Snape, so there will be no favouritism shown."
Harry did not know this. "Did you know that when I first came to Hogwarts, the class I was most looking forward to was potions? Your pet Deatheater humiliated me on the first day for taking notes while he was talking. Every class and every year, he bullies and harasses the non-Slytherin students and you let it happen. You just let that man poison your programme. I seem to recall a petition I had created. It disappeared one day. Headmaster, did you steal it?"
After a long silence, Dumbledore finally answered him, "Yes. It would have resulted in Severus' termination and I couldn't let that happen. Harry, your fame can be a terrible weapon and it would have been unfair to allow you to expel the man simply because you can't get along with him."
"Are you kidding me? He harassed me! Not the other way around. And he does it to Neville too!"
Andromeda spoke up, "Albus, If Harry returns and I hear that Snape is harassing Harry unfairly, there will be repercussions." She was using her 'icy fire' tone.
For his part, Albus could just confirm his own actions. "Severus has been reprimanded. He is already on probation following the events last year. Harry, we both know how your… scar affected others. When Severus was around you, he saw your father. And let me tell you, James Potter harassed Severus Snape far more than Severus has ever harassed you."
Harry started to wonder why he was even bothering with this. Still, he wanted to point out a few more failures.
Playing on Dumbledore's last statement, Harry asked, "What about McGonagall? My father never harassed her! She was his bloody godmother for Christ's sake!" He saw Andromeda flinch at his language, but she said nothing. Harry began to realise Andromeda and Bill were here for his sake, not the other way around. Well, he kind of knew that, but seeing it was comforting.
Dumbledore kept his calm demeanour, "Your head of house has blamed herself for letting your father and his gang of Marauders run rampant at school. She believed James and Sirius pushed Severus into the service of Voldemort and her failure to curtail his activities made it her own fault. Your scar made her focus on that sad failure whenever you were around her."
Harry slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair. "Stop blaming the scar for everyone's bad behaviour! That's a cowardly cop-out and you know it! I can name plenty of people that resisted the scar's influence. Just stop." After a moment, he added, "And she's not my head of house. I don't have a house."
To his credit, that seemed to bother Dumbledore.
Andromeda took advantage of the awkward pause and asked, "What about the scar?"
Before anyone could answer, Harry turned to her and said, "It was a Horcrux. It's gone now. That's why my magic was shredded."
Andromeda looked at him in shock and horror. She then looked at Bill and then Dumbledore. "You two knew? You knew and…"
Bill said, "No, I thought it was just some kind of curse. I was researching a way to remove it. Albus suspected… but he was also looking for a way to remove it."
Harry interrupted, "Well, Voldemort removed it when he rose from the dead. It was part of the ritual. Having it torn out made the Cruciatus feel like a warm shower."
Andromeda still looked horrified. "My god. I'm so sorry…" She looked pale.
Harry calmed a bit and said, "It's alright. I survived and my magic is about a half a year from being healed up enough for regular use. In a year, I'll be at full strength."
Albus sighed, "So, the Horcrux in your scar affected everyone around you, Harry. Just in different ways. Sometimes subtle, sometimes less subtle. We still don't know what happened last year to increase its strength and its range. Even you, with all your mother's protection, were beginning to show signs of being affected."
Harry rubbed his head and cursed to himself, Shite. That again. Dumbledore has an answer for everything. No, Katie never acted out. Neither did Colin or Hermione or Ginny or Filius. Or Hagrid… Or Luna. Professor Sprout was always fair. Shite. It was the world's worst cop-out because you can't disprove it.
A long and awkward minute passed.
Harry looked up, "Hey, what about the Dursleys? If my scar was so bad, why did you put me with them? It caused them misery for ten years. And it was the wards you erected that made it even worse for them."
Albus looked depressed, "Yes. That was a cruel thing to do to them. I didn't see that I had a choice. We've covered this before, I think. Had I placed you with a magical family, they would have realised something was wrong and called in the Department of Mysteries. The Department of Mysteries would have found that you had a Horcrux buried in your scar and they would have put you down."
Shite. Always with his answers. Yeah, he had heard this before.
Harry decided to just start throwing out grievances. "What about with the Basilisk? You would have collaborated to steal my earned prize. Will you blame the scar for that, too?"
"No, Harry. The school needed the funds terribly. I admit that I reacted poorly. I saw an opportunity to shore up the scholarship fund that aids with the tuition for families in need of financial assistance. I would have taken fifty percent of the profit from the harvesting and placed the other fifty percent in your vault. Instead, you surprised everyone and gave away even more than I would have taken. And let's be fair, Fawkes did more than just 'help'."
Seeing Harry weighing his words, Albus added, "The way you shared the funds were both noble and inspirational. I was exceedingly impressed with your generosity. Harry, I am proud of the way you behaved. It showed a… strength of character that few twelve-year olds possess. And yes, I am ashamed of my actions, but now you at least understand my point of view."
Harry made a point not to look at his twinkling eyes. "Why didn't you help Sirius? He followed you and you never even visited him in Azkaban. You never pressed for a trial."
Dumbledore stayed calm. "Another failure, I'm afraid. But that failure was hardly all on my shoulders. He openly professed his guilt when he was captured. Cackling like a madman. I was certain that if I saw the man, I'd lash out at him. I failed him, but he didn't really give me anything to work with. Yelling out 'I killed James and Lily' over and over. What would you have thought? And let's not forget that Remus and Andromeda also gave up and accepted his guilt. As did so many others. Even his own friends in the DMLE."
Harry noticed Andromeda looked ashamed. Yeah, there was plenty of guilt to go around. At least they weren't blaming the scar for that.
Harry went back to the last war. "During the war, you had a non-lethal policy. Both of my parents believe that was a major factor in the horrible failures during the first war. Why did you do that? Had the original Order used lethal curses, there wouldn't have been as many Deatheaters. The opposition certainly wasn't holding back.
At this, Albus Dumbledore seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I forget you have so many memories in your head... Harry, the Order was not a legal group. We were never part of the DMLE or Auror force. Even members from the DMLE were participating in Order activities after hours. Had we used lethal tactics; we would have been arrested. We also were fighting a political war. Had we started killing children of Wizengamot members in those pivotal early years, there would have been a significant backlash and Voldemort would have walked right in and claimed his throne. This was not a clean fight. The political minefields were… well, I admit to being in a frequent state of confusion. The traditionalist families were assaulting the progressive families politically in the Wizengamot while their children and cousins were using guerrilla tactics and killing the same families and other innocents in the streets and in their homes. Eventually, the Wizengamot members mostly realised Voldemort was not on their side and they authorised lethal force… but it was too little and too late. So many Aurors had been killed by that point. Would I do it differently this time? Yes. But hindsight is always so clear. Now that we know he's back but laying low, we can prepare. We also know about the Horcruxes… we have a slight advantage. Voldemort needs funds and between you and Sirius, he has far less than he needs. He'll find supporters and funds… eventually. But it's bought us time." His eyes were not twinkling. He looked intense. This is the Wizard who fought Grindelwald.
Looking at Harry, Dumbledore shook off his intense look and added, "I believe I have just gone off on a tangent."
Harry wasn't ready to accept this version of the truth yet. "But you didn't press to have Malfoy or Crabbe, or Nott thrown in Azkaban. You let them all off. Sirius was thrown in prison, but not all those other Deatheaters."
"Harry, the Imperius defence is real. Think about Mr. Krum in the third task. You would be shocked at how many people were fighting against their will. The marked Deatheaters rode the same laws that released the victims of the Imperius curse from culpability. Yes, one in five were truly guilty, but how do you differentiate? At the end, when their cause was defeated, most Deatheaters Imperiused each other to strengthen their claims… But most of the Imperius Curse victims were innocent men and women who had no business in Azkaban. In fact, Deatheaters frequently enjoyed having their rivals killed by their own loved ones. Would you punish them? Knowing that they were already having to live with the crimes they had committed? Crimes that were frequently committed against friends and family?"
"I… no. But I tell you this, When I'm in combat with marked Deatheaters, I'll kill them all. There'll be no 'Imperius Defence' for that." Harry noticed that he had gotten everyone's attention. "You should have done the same."
Albus took another deep breath. Another awkward silence filled the room. "Perhaps. But not all Deatheaters are marked. And they don't always roll up their sleeve and show you their marks before a fight." After a moment, he added, "But there were opportunities to permanently remove some of the more dangerous members that I wish I had taken."
Harry just stared. Albus Dumbledore just admitted that he may have been too lenient…
Kreacher then showed up and brought tea and scones. "Master needs to eat."
Harry smiled, "Thank you Kreacher. What would I do without you?"
Kreacher beamed. It was obvious how attached he was becoming.
Albus Dumbledore looked tired. "Perhaps, Harry, we should focus on your time at Hogwarts. My mistakes from before you were born only serve to distract from our own interactions."
Damn, why did the man always have to be so calm?
Harry nodded, "Alright. Why did you take my knife? You let the Durmstrang students carry around their weapons, but you took mine."
Dumbledore looked confused for a moment, then said, "Your Gringotts curse-breaker knife. Yes. The one you publicly threatened to use on other students if they crossed you. The one you thrust into my staff table in front of an audience. I must confess that I thought you were baiting me there. It seemed as if you wanted me to take it. Why else would have brandished it so?"
Harry couldn't help but see it from his point of view. "You just have an answer for everything, don't you?"
Dumbledore grimaced and said, "I believe we have established that I do not. But I shall return your knife. Please do not use it on Mr. Malfoy."
Despite himself, Harry snickered. Who would have imagined a year ago that he would be sharing a house with Draco Malfoy? Why was Dumbledore always two steps ahead of him? Or was this just the therapy helping him see both sides of an argument?
"You tried to force me to attend Hogwarts a few months ago. Why did you do that?"
"Yes, I wanted you to attend Hogwarts this year. I overstepped my bounds and was made painfully aware of how poorly my insistence was received. Arthur Weasley may be a calm man, but he can be very direct when he feels strongly about something. But let's not forget, I helped coordinate your home schooling and OWL preparation." With a soft sigh, he added, "I admit to pressing hard, but I thought it was in your best interests. Minerva and I worked extremely hard on a wandless magic curriculum and I were quite proud of what we managed to pull together. I also wanted to give you the opportunity to mend fences with your peers."
Harry had to fight to control his irritation. "So, after everything I went through, I should just forgive and forget. No, don't say 'the scar made them do it'. Please, I really don't buy into that."
"Whether you buy into the excuse or not, holding onto your animosity will take you to a rather dark and miserable place. I don't want you to be bitter and angry, Harry. I've seen what that can do to a person."
Seeing Harry look at him, Dumbledore continued, "My brother, whom I referenced earlier, owns the Hogs Head Inn. He was an exceptional wizard who was unfairly compared to me. No matter how much he excelled, he frequently fell short of my own performance. The bitterness of the comparison and a terrible family tragedy drove him down a road to loneliness and misery. Had he managed to overcome his bitterness and accepted who he was and that the past does not have to define us, he would have been a far happier man. He now enjoys the company of cheap Whisky and a dirty dish cloth. I'd prefer not to see you on that same path."
Harry had seen the man he suspected was Aberforth Dumbledore. He looked like an angry drunk. That was neither here nor there… back to this century. "Professor, you came to my birthday party and asked me to give up my magic. How on earth would that make me less bitter and miserable?"
"Harry, my intention at your birthday was simply to deliver your wandless curriculum and to give you the watch your parent's enchanted with their own voices. Truthfully, I hoped to repair our relationship as well. Amelia asked to come along and offer her wishes of friendship. I regret acquiescing to her request. I had no idea she would make that plea. In truth, it was not a terrible offer had your magic in fact been permanently destroyed."
Harry shook his head, "No, it would have left me a squib with no hope for recovery."
Albus raised his eyebrows, "It would have guaranteed your protection. In truth, as powerful as you are, you would have still had a magical power level that would have been about average. But your magic was believed to have been destroyed. Given that no one expected you to recover, it seemed like a good offer. I feel certain Amelia was planning to offer a marriage contract with her niece, but she wisely refrained as you did not seem receptive. Before you accepted her rapprochement, she was truly in a desperate state. Ending the alliance has shaken the Bones family terribly. Whoever drafted that contract was a brilliant individual."
Harry wasn't letting him off that easily. "You helped end the alliance. That was your fault."
"Yet another mistake on my part. Yes, I acted. However, I didn't know it had such dramatic penalty clauses. Harry, that curse never should have harmed you. It was a cramping spell and your own core should have shrugged it off with only a minor bit of discomfort. I can only surmise that the Horcrux was gaining strength and I suspect it used that curse to further isolate you. Tell me, Harry, do you really think a fourth year could create a lethal curse like that? If Ginevra fired a stinging hex at someone and they had a heart attack, should she go to Azkaban? Because that's the equivalent of what should have happened. Let's not even discuss her aptitude with her Bat Bogey hex…"
That one event was the worst thing that Harry remembered from last year. Well, that and Cho. "You could have just come and talked to me."
Dumbledore smiled in a way that was almost a smirk. "You were not in a charitable or forgiving mood. I did recommend it, though. In hindsight, I wish I had pressed harder. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I took the easy way out. Fortunately, you accepted the rapprochement, and the Bones matriarch has appeared to have calmed down. Which is good, we need her for the coming war."
There was another pregnant pause. Harry reflected that today had been one awkward encounter after another. He could see some of the logic in Dumbledore's perspective, but not all. And blaming the scar for everything was just a cop out.
Albus looked at Harry and smiled. "Now that your magic is returning, I'd like you to consider returning to Hogwarts for your sixth year. We can optimise your schedule. We have a set of suites that are set aside for visitors. You and Mr. Malfoy could stay in those quarters. I don't think putting young Mister Malfoy in the general Slytherin population would be a good thing."
Harry smirked, "Got that right. But I think I'll just home school through my NEWTs."
Dumbledore wasn't ready to give up yet. "Consider the people you are still close to, Harry. You still have friends at Hogwarts. More than you know. Those friends must interact every day with the same people you refuse to forgive. Would you let your animosity sour their own standing at Hogwarts?"
Harry groaned, "Are we back to the 'forgive and forget' suggestion?"
Dumbledore went back into his academic mode, "Harry, are you familiar with Alfred the Great?" Seeing Harry concentrate, he saw an opening, "King Alfred the Great was the king of Wessex from 871AD thru 899AD. He is credited with defending Wessex against Viking invaders that had brutally attacked England. Wessex was the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom not to fall before the invaders. His battles were hard fought and not all were won. When he finally managed a decisive victory, he required the Vikings to convert to Christianity and swear oaths of allegiance. He took the high road and enjoyed years of peace."
Harry considered this. "Wait, so Vikings came into England and attacked innocents. Then, when they lost, all they had to do was convert to Christianity? Where's the justice for their victims?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Harry, I think you're forgetting the many generations of peace that came from his act of mercy."
Harry wanted to get in one solid 'hit'. "What about the victims? What of the people the Vikings tortured and murdered? Have you ever heard of 'the Blood Eagle'? The Vikings apparently loved to use this on the people they conquered." Seeing Dumbledore flinch, he added, "Tell me this Professor Dumbledore, did Severus Snape torture and murder Marlene McKinnon? Will he ever see justice for his crimes?"
Seeing Albus sit quietly, he added, "Sirius suspected, but my mother was certain of it. Yet you shielded him. Marlene died a terrible death and you have shielded her killer." With a disgusted sneer, Harry said, "You keep too many secrets."
Albus peered over his half round glasses and calmly responded with, "I'm not the only one who keeps secrets, Harry."
—Dance of Death 29—
Albus soon excused himself and left. Neither Bill nor Andromeda said very much. Harry would return to Hogwarts for his evaluation in mid-February. He was looking forward to being with Ginny for Valentine's day. He was more than ready to take his NEWTs, but he knew his tutors were training him on more practical skills now. His ability to sense magic was much sharper and he could usually determine the type of charm or curse just by the feel of it. Extremely helpful in a duel. Tonks had trained up like an auror and he was able to instinctively use battle tactics and evaluations. Much of which had been honed in his fourth year. The later training built nicely on it.
—Dance of Death 29—
Next up: Back to Hogwarts – And Dolores Umbridge
Chapter 30 will be a pivotal chapter and will have the second major tragedy. Tragedies come in threes. buckle up...
I am currently reading a story called 'A Simple act of Vengeance' by 'Frickles'. I am greatly enjoying it. The story takes a quite different path with regards to the way Harry uses magic and it avoids a lot of the common tropes. Highly recommended.
I wrote this chapter to give a bit more perspective from Albus Dumbledore's point of view. I have portrayed him poorly and a viewpoint from him is overdue. He is not a villain; he just made a bunch of mistakes. My personal mistake was not realising that it was Aberforth that found Snape listening in on the prophecy. I had always believed it was Albus… Nope. That must have come from fanon and not canon. That does cast him in a gentler light as he didn't intentionally let Snape off the hook.
Note: Draco and Harry aren't just suddenly friends, but they are making the effort to be civil. Given their living conditions, it's only natural. One of the reasons it's possible is that this all occurs before Draco did anything too horrible. Going by canon, after the sixth year, this wouldn't have been possible. He had committed too many crimes. Cursing Katie Bell, Imperiusing Rosmerta, trying to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, Repairing the Vanishing cabinet… There's just no coming back from that. Harry would have left him to Greyback's tender mercies. But up until mid-fifth year, Draco was only guilty of vile talk and a few curses. Contrast that to what all of Gryffindor did and what a few Hufflepuffs did. Snape told the Slytherins to avoid Potter and most did. So here they are now. Two fifteen-year olds with no other teens to talk to… Yeah – they're trying. The fact that Harry beat the stuffing out of Draco relieved a great deal of tension.
*The Iopos law firm is a power broking law firm. They don't make their money in law. I'll address them some time in Casting Shadows – but they take a direct interest in mages from the Denairastas family. Iopos and Denairastas is a part of the Earthdawn setting. For this story, consider it pre-recorded history.