Chapter 11: His Greater Good

The Potters were essentially Wizarding World Royalty. They had worked hard through generations to gain the respect and trust of all beings. They treated all creatures with respect. When she married James, Lily had made it her mission to be able to communicate with the creatures in their own languages when possible. The more she heard from them, the more encouraged she felt to pursue a fairer society. When she was studying at Hogwarts, she had learned of the enslavement of elves, the hatred, envy, and resentment purebloods had against goblins, centaurs, giants, merpeople, and all other sentient magical beings. The more she learned of them, the more passionate she became about changing things.

When Charlus Potter met his son's girlfriend, he quickly realized two things. The first thing was that his son had found his better half for life. The second thing was that Lily was the breath of fresh air that the Wizarding Society needed. Her brain was an impressive thing to behold in action. It could have been too big, except that her heart was bigger. In the beginning, she had been shy to discuss her mind freely, but when she began feeling comfortable around them and started to talk to them about her concerns and dreams, they realized she was truly special. By the time she married James, she had stern Charlus wrapped around her pinky. Her mother-in-law, Dorea, adored her.

Pureblood Supremacists had to respect the Potters because they were an Ancient and Noble House. Also, they were filthy rich. Bigots like money and social splendor. Being invited to a Potter Ball or gala was a great distinction for all creatures. Charlus and Dorea Potter spent a significant amount of his time helping Lily make progress with her efforts from their seats in the Wizengamot, paving the way for his son and daughter-in-law to start cleaning the wasteland that was The Ministry of Magic and its outdated, sexist, discriminatory laws. Lily was about halfway done with her manuscript for the Equal Law for All Magical Beings when James, Harry, and herself had to go into hiding. Amid the war, Charlus and Dorea had disappeared. They were presumed dead, but no bodies were recovered. Unknown to everyone who cared, a certain someone had taken it upon himself to get rid of them. They would have been an insurmountable obstacle in his plan.


Albus Dumbledore should have known, the moment he decided to lie to the Potters and influence their lives, which resulted in their deaths, that things would go downhill from then on. However, Albus was always confident in how brilliant he was. When he became the youngest Headmaster that Hogwarts ever had, his ego went up. He had his own playground to be king. He could change the rules, influence the future leaders of the Wizarding World. He got to play the friend for the older students, the fun uncle for the first-year students, and as time went by, he became the grandfather for everyone. He wasn't above flicking his wand here or there to alter situations, influence actions, delete or modify memories, or using potions on unsuspecting people. He had soon decided that instead of flicking his wand when people got to his office -and wasting his magic- he could just offer them candy or a drink and have it contain a potion of his choice. This is how he could impact entire generations, and no one would figure out how he was able to do so. He was so confident in his power and his role as Leader of the Light that he rarely lingered to look at the long term consequences of his actions. This shortsightedness triggered his downfall.

The first time the devices in his office started acting up, he wasn't there to see it. Albus Dumbledore was a busy man. He had to oversee the school, the Wizengamot, and the International Confederation of Wizards. This meant that he spent very little time in Hogwarts. He created the Deputy Headmaster position for a reason. In that way, some poor professor would do all the work, and he would get all the credit. Whoever the deputy was, they would write down memos for Albus to make decisions on important topics. In the beginning, he would stay up until two in the morning reading and replying. However, Albus didn't like feeling tired from lack of sleep and having his complexion look dull. Before too long, he found himself and old, wise, and smart house-elf, bonded with him, and made him handle all his correspondence. Unknown to everyone, Albus had no idea what was going on in the school, about 75% of the time. Luckily, he was a good actor. It was only his poker face that saved him from embarrassment sometimes. His devices would act up many times while he was away on meetings or summits.

When Tippy, his administrative assistant house-elf, woke him up late one night, the headmaster was upset.

"Master!" the wrinkly elf exclaimed while shaking the man's shoulder. "Master, wake up!"

"What is it?! I have told you to let me sleep undisturbed!" Albus said swatting the elf hand away.

"But you also says that I must keep an eye open for Harry Potter news, master!" the elf said in a conflicted tone. This woke Albus right away. He sat up and put on his glasses.

"What happened?"

"A person called Arabella Figg wrotes you a letter about him," the elf said handing Albus the letter.


Albus,

I heard some women talking today as I returned from getting food for my cats. They said that the Dursleys kicked Harry out in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. I am deeply worried. He is only 5! No one has seen him since. I tried to talk to Petunia, but she told me he was her nephew but that his parents had taken him back to live with them. She doesn't know that I know that the Potters are dead. She was wearing a lot of makeup, but I could tell she had bruises under it. I told you that man was a menace! Even their own kid had bruises and scratches. You fool! You better find him before any Death Eaters do!

Arabella Figg


Damn it all to hell! Albus thought. He dressed, walked briskly to the borders of the school, and apparated to Privet Drive. His agitation at losing the boy and the power that came with him was such that he landed in the middle of a street and was immediately hit by a car. Fortunately for him, the car was not driving fast. In any case, he was thrown a few meters forward and hurt his head. He fell unconscious.

He woke up three days later with a needle stuck to his arm and in a strange white room. He felt dizzy and weak. Every inch of his body was stiff and uncomfortable. He ripped the needle out and got up. His knees were shaking. What had these damn muggles done to him?! He needed to go to Hogwart's infirmary. They probably poisoned him in this place.

Harry! How was he to find Harry!? He would have to make elves help. Goblins were a no go. He could not contact the DMLE because then he would have to explain how he managed to stall the Potter will reading for years, and that would uncover that he had used magic against a goblin in goblin jurisprudence. He shuddered at the thought of facing goblin court. The disgusting creatures hated him. It was true that he had helped himself to gold from their vaults for years, but it was for the Greater Good. He knew that obliviate didn't take as well in goblins' thick skulls. Yet, the confundus spell seemed to be quite helpful. He held on to the bed and took a steadying breath. Was he strong enough to apparate? He would hate splinching himself. Fawkes! He summoned the bird, who looked miffed. The animal was probably sleeping when Albus waked him. Stupid beast, he thought. He wandlessly summoned his wand and robes which flew around the hospital to the amazement of all the personnel. Aurors would have many memories to erase. He put on his robe and Fawkes whisked him away in a burst of flames.


Albus was enraged. Where in Merlin's underpants' was that bloody kid?! Aurors had been looking for him for three months! He knew Harry wasn't dead because he had an instrument for that in his office. But then, where was he? He had talked to the muggle police, and they told him nothing. They were very suspicious of him for some reason, and he barely managed to confound them before they arrested him. When he found him, he would further bind his magic to leave him a bit more powerful than a squib. That would show him. He would make life hell to whoever helped him hide! The kid was supposed to grow without love and attachment. That would make him easier to sacrifice. He would have no one fighting for him or advising him against what Albus had decided was for the Greater Good. Harry was supposed to have no one to live for. Damn it!

Albus didn't hate the child. He was completely indifferent to Harry. For Dumbledore, Harry was just a tool, an ace up his sleeve, a secret weapon,… a perfect martyr. Who wouldn't feel pity for an orphan who grew up to sacrifice himself for the good of all wizards and witches? For one, Albus Dumbledore. He knew about feelings. On a logical level, he could define feelings in a textbook kind of way. However, he always knew that the only way to stay in power was to have perfect control over emotions, both those of other people and his own. He rarely felt the positive lovey-dovey feelings inferior people did. He felt the only things worthy of being felt: pride, wrath, greed, envy, gluttony, and lust.

Had he ever met Father Martin, he would have learned that those were deadly sins, not feelings. Alas, he did not. Pride for his accomplishments was understandable. His wrath, though, that was unjustified. Albus felt the world owed him. What did the world owe him? That remained to be seen. Since he was a toddler, he had been greedy. He always wanted more. One of the first clear emotions he could remember having felt clearly was envy. He wanted what his siblings had. He wanted what his friends had. Eventually, he wanted what his boyfriend had. Dumbledore could eat sweets and dessert to the point of getting sick. His insistence in offering others sweets stemmed from the fact that -due to his sweet tooth- he wouldn't be able to resist them. During his adult life, he needed to see healers about his teeth too many times.

Growing up, his sexuality had him confused for a long time. However, when young Albus met him, he was absolutely sure of it. Gellert Grindelwald was everything Dumbledore wanted to be. Since the moment they met, their chemistry was undeniable. Soon enough, they were regular users of a special secret room in Hogwarts. Gellert's ideas helped shape Albus' ideals and plans for the future. The opposite was true as well. However, at a crucial point in their relationship, Ariana's death had changed everything. Ariana was the only pure affection that Albus ever had, and losing her changed all his plans. Dumbledore had known intense lust, passion, and even deep love for Gellert, but Albus needed to oppose him publically before his lover's ship sank and he drowned with him. With Gellert in Nurmengard, there was no stronger wizard than him.


Dumbledore went to the healer and was feeling a bit better. He was given a strict potion regime to regain his strength. Fawkes had burst into flames promptly when they got to Hogwarts. Stupid, useless, ball of feathers! He couldn't even wait to burst until his familiar was better. Disloyal twat! Now he had no use for the tiny, disgusting, featherless thing. He ordered a big bowl of ice cream to be brought to him and went to his office to floo the Aurors who were looking for Harry. After all, it was 2.30 pm, and he had not had lunch yet. A bowl of ice cream with his favorite toppings would be just the thing. As the gargoyle staircase reached his door, Albus felt a cold shiver going down his back. He took out his wand immediately. Nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him inside.

He opened the door and stilled himself.

"Amelia? What a lovely surprise! How are you, dear?" he said, smiling his grandfather smile.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, it is Madam Bones for you. I am head of the DMLE. You will address me as such" she chided, as the Aurors pointed their wands at him.

"Of course, Madam" he pronounced the word as if he was savoring the most disgusting thing on Earth "How can I help you?"

"You will surrender your wand to us," she ordered, pointing her own wand at him. He tightened his hold on his wand.

"I will do no such thing. You have NO reason to disarm me."

"As I was saying before you interrupted me… Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, you are under arrest for willful endangerment of a child, child abduction, and as an accessory for allowing severe physical, emotional, and psychological harm to a child."

"What?!"

"Surrender your wand, sir," one of the Aurors ordered. Albus remembered the man. He had taught him.

"Greengrass… Toby… Be reasonable. How could I have done any of those things? I have no children!" Albus said, still trying to keep his grandpa act. The other Auror was a stranger. From the look of him, he was probably a Durmstrang alumni. He approached menacingly.

"Zip it, old codger! Give me the wand before I take it by force!"

"I would love to see you try!" Albus replied with a smirk. Even sick, he could beat this halfwit with his eyes closed. Before anyone could throw any spells, there was a blinding light, windows exploded, and suddenly Albus was on his knees, with his hands behind his bank bound by thick and heavy goblin handcuffs. His wand was in a goblin-made safety box. The Aurors had immediately covered Amelia. She had a stunner on the tip of her tongue and when Albus went down, she almost -accidentally- hit a goblin warrior. Said warrior looked at her with dark eyes. Madame Bones knew better than to get on goblins' bad side. She immediately lay down on the floor and threw her wand away. The Aurors followed her example.

"Great warrior, I deeply apologize. I was trying to stun Albus, not you. Please forgive me," she asked humbly.

"Are you daft? Why on Earth are you humiliating yourself before these… these creatures?!" Albus yelled in anger.

"Madam Bones, Aurors, rise. I know you meant no harm."

"We were putting him under arrest. He needs to answer for some crimes."

"You cannot arrest me! As Head of the Wizengamot and ICW, I have diplomatic immunity!" Albus decided to follow that statement with something very stupid. He laughed. His laughter was short-lived when Amelia silencioed him.

"Yes, I can, and I will. As you know, the DMLE cooperates with muggle police. They pressed those charges, and once they prove what you did, you will lose your diplomatic immunity, and I will own your ass Dumbledore! I know you stopped the Wizengamot from ever giving Sirius Black a trial!"

Albus blanched. How was it possible? But then he recalled the mention of a will. Any chance to get money was worth it. With the muggles chasing him (The nerve!), he would need to hire a barrister.

The goblin smirked. "Madame Bones, we are here to force Dumbledore to join us at Gringotts for a will reading that involves him. You are most welcome to join us. I am sure you will find the contents of the will are of interest to the DMLE."

Amelia narrowed her eyes. What else had this old goat done? She decided to trust the goblins. They were always just and honest when it came to finances. "Alright, warrior. We shall join you."

"Good. Just remember that you have no jurisdiction in our territory. You will all have to surrender your wands at the entrance."

She nodded. The Aurors engorgioed the brooms in their pockets and followed the Goblins out of the window. There was a magnificent hippogriff waiting outside. The goblin froze Albus, so the man had to comply.


No one could apparate into or out of Hogwarts, but they could apparate just outside the borders. Dumbledore had never done much for the security of the school. Anyone could just waltz in and out. They flew to the borders quickly. Soon enough, they landed. At the goblin's request, they touched his shield while the goblin held on to Dumbledore. They vanished.