Chapter Seven: In Which Truths Are Exposed

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you."

Malfoy winced at the sound of the name.

"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other. . . . No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived. . . . I can help you, Draco."

"What the hell?" thought Harry. "Dumbledore knew? Dumbledore knew about Malfoy being a Death Eater?"

"Uh — I realise this isn't a very good time to say this. . . ."

Dumbledore had been killed by Snape and a lot of things had happened. Harry had just been informed about Bill's condition and Ron and the others had been told about Dumbledore's death.

Harry continued loudly, "Dumbledore's the reason why Katie was cursed, Ron was poisoned and this attack happened."

Everyone looked at him disbelievingly.

"We were in the Astronomy Tower," Harry began, "and he admitted that he knew Malfoy was a Death Eater but didn't do anything about it because Voldemort was threatening Malfoy to figure out a way to get the Death Eaters in. Dumbledore wanted to save Malfoy."

"You must have misunderstood, Harry," said Hermione. "That doesn't make any sense. Dumbledore wouldn't —"

"Let his students be harmed? Except he did," said Harry, shaking with anger. "Remember Quirell? He freaking let Voldemort stroll into Hogwarts as the Defense Professor just to try and capture him! At the end of the year, he just flat out told me that he knew all along that Voldemort was possessing Quirell! What makes you think he gave a flying f— about us?"

AN: Dumbledore was a weird guy. Now, for the poetry —

Roses are red, marigolds are yellow.

Redeeming evil people was a hobby of this fellow.

His name was very long, but everyone called him Dumbledore,

For selling convoluted plots, he could have opened a store!