17

Reason…

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Harry stood in front of the door thinking whether he should go ahead with it. Even after giving it a lot of thought he still couldn't think of a reason as to why Dumbledore hadn't taken any action in the matter. He sighed as he looked at the door. He was here now so he might as well do what he came for. As he was about to knock on the door, it opened automatically. Harry however wasn't surprised.

"Ah, come in Harry," he only heard the voice as the boy looked around wondering where Dumbledore was when the old wizard emerged from behind one of the many bookshelves that were in his office. Harry slowly walked in as the door closed behind him. "Why are you here at this hour?"

While it wasn't late it was kind of an odd timing as dinner had just been over and curfew was going to be in an hour. It made sense why one would consider it late, especially when a student was visiting the head office, unless it was an emergency.

"Is everything alright?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, professor, I, uh…just wanted to talk to you about something," he said hesitatingly.

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment before he nodded. "Okay, have a seat, Harry. I'll just be a minute."

Harry nodded as he sat in the empty chair. He then saw Dumbledore take something out of the drawer from under his table. It was a small glass container inside which there were round pellets of brown color. Dumbledore took one out and enlarged it to the size of a golden snitch before he headed over to Fawks, his phoenix. The bird trilled happily as Dumbledore crushed the enlarged pellet into a small bowl beside Fawk's perch as the phoenix started to eat from it.

Harry watched the fiery bird eat happily. He had never seen a phoenix eat before and he doubted others would've either. They were such rare creatures.

"Ah, you were hungry, weren't you?" Dumbledore said as he lightly scratched the bird's head. He then walked back to his table and sat in his chair before looking at Harry. "What did you want to talk about, Harry?" he asked in his normal, calm tone.

Harry seemed to be thinking for a minute before he spoke. "Professor, I, uh…I recently found out that you hold a position in the ministry of magic…as chief warlock?"

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment before nodding once. "I do," he said.

"Professor, I was thinking, was there a way for you to get Sirius a trial?" Harry asked. "When I first met Sirius towards the end of my third year he told me that he couldn't have been incarcerated had he been given a fair trial to prove his innocence. You also believe that Sirius is innocent. That is why you gave Hermione and me the idea of using her time turner to save him. All this time he was in Azkaban serving for a crime he didn't commit and now that he's out of that horrible place he's an outlaw. You could've given him a fair trial all these years. I wanted to ask why you didn't. Was there a reason for it?"

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment before he sighed as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Harry, remember how I told you why you had to live with your relatives, when you asked me about it in your first year?" he asked. Harry nodded slowly. "It's the same reason why I didn't push for Sirius' trial."

"I…don't understand, professor," Harry said.

"The protection that your mother put on you is tied to her blood," Dumbledore said, "which is why I told you how important it was for you to stay with your mother's sister. Living in the same vicinity as hers keeps that protection on you intact. I suppose you now know very well that Voldemort isn't really gone, right?" Harry nodded. After all, he had encountered him twice already.

"But where does Sirius come in all of this?" Harry asked.

There was a small pause before Dumbledore spoke again. "After your parents were murdered Sirius wasn't exactly in his right mind for a long time," Dumbledore said. "He blamed himself for what happened to them. When the aurors found him that night he was screaming that all of it was his fault. Voldemort's terror had been the highest during those times so the aurors were rounding up the death eaters as quickly as they could to put a dent in the number of his followers. When they saw Sirius screaming those words they didn't think twice before arresting him and putting him into Azkaban. A lot of other death eaters were incarcerated the same way because there wasn't just enough time for the ministry or the Wizengamot to conduct trials for everyone. As for how his freedom would affect your safety, if he had been freed then he would've taken custody of you no matter how much I would have tried to make him understand of the facts. I knew Voldemort wasn't really gone and so did Sirius but he wouldn't have let you live with your aunt because he knew how much she hates your mother. For you that would've been risky. Letting you live in a muggle home, away from the magical world was the best way to keep you safe. The only reason I didn't push for Sirius' trial was because I knew he wouldn't look for reasons as he would've wanted to take responsibility for you as your godfather."

"And that would've kept me away from my mother's protection that I am otherwise getting by living with my relatives," Harry said understanding. Dumbledore nodded. Harry thought for a minute before he looked at the old wizard. "I will talk to Sirius. I am sure he will understand if I tell him why I can't leave my relatives to go live with him. Can you then see if he gets his trial?"

"Harry, I know how much it pains you to see him like that," Dumbledore said. "It pains me somewhat similarly because of how closely we fought together against Voldemort over a decade ago. I have seen your parents, Sirius, Remus and others – who all fought beside me in the last war – crumble down both emotionally and physically. I have seen them lose it all in the face of an overwhelming danger. In those moments people show their true colors. For Sirius, it means that he is not someone you can reason with. He thinks that he can keep you safe and for that very reason he will never allow you to continue living with your relatives if he becomes a free man. I know it sounds harsh but…" he paused as he leaned closer to Harry, "…your safety is paramount than anything else right now."

"What…What does that mean?" Harry asked nervously.

Dumbledore leaned back as he sighed tiredly. He rubbed his forehead before leaning forward again. "I didn't think that you would ask me something like that which is why I was keeping it from you. I thought that I would tell you about it at a more proper time, when you were ready."

"Tell me what?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore stood up and walked into his living quarter that was attached to the head office. He came back a few minutes later holding a small vial before heading towards a cupboard. He looked at Harry before signaling him to come over to where he was. As Harry stood up he saw Dumbledore take out a large, shallow bowl from the cupboard. It had a transparent liquid in it of which Harry wasn't sure of what it was. As he came near it he recognized the equipment.

"Do you know what this is, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's a pensive, professor," Harry said.

"Correct," Dumbledore said as he opened the small vial which he had with him before he poured its content into the pensive. Harry saw the silvery liquid turned into a dark grey color as it mixed into the pensive's liquid. "And this is a memory," Dumbledore said. "I suppose you know the purpose of a pensive?" Harry nodded. "Well, this is a very important memory that I have kept close to myself. Only a handful of others know about it. Like I said, I was planning on telling you about it later but it seems like that time has come. This will hopefully answer your questions."

Harry looked from Dumbledore to the cloudy liquid in the pensive before he slowly dipped his head into it. Immediately he was sucked inside and it felt somewhat like he was using the floo, but it was a lot less rough on him as he landed softly on the ground and found himself in Dumbledore's memory. He knew how pensives worked which is why he wasn't that nervous to find himself in a completely different place. However, it was his first time using it so it was an experience.

He was standing on the streets of Hogsmead village, behind Dumbledore who soon began to walk towards the Three Broomsticks. Harry followed him as the two entered the establishment. The place looked somewhat newer compared to the present but Harry still couldn't guess how old this memory was. Dumbledore didn't look any younger whatsoever so it was hard to guess it that way.

Walking into the small diner cum pub Harry saw Dumbledore walk behind the counter and into a small room. He followed him inside and saw a familiar face already present in there. It took him a little while to recognize the woman and when he did he was shocked. It was his divination professor Sybill Trelawney. Other than her disheveled hair she looked remarkably proper in terms of her appearance. She still had her thick, round glasses which made her big round eyes seem only bigger as she stood up when she saw Dumbledore walk in.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, thank you for giving me this opportunity," she said.

Dumbledore only nodded as he signaled her to sit. Harry stood in the corner watching them as he realized that this was an interview for Trelawney to teach divination at Hogwarts. A few minutes passed by and she had not performed well in the interview so far. Dumbledore seemed to be thinking the same thing as Harry read from the headmaster's expressions which he would've normally hid.

As the interview came to an end Harry could tell that Dumbledore was not at all interested in having her take the teaching position at Hogwarts which made Harry wonder how Sybill ended up teaching the students in the first place. He also wondered why Dumbledore was showing him this memory when both his questions were answered as he saw Trelawney go into trance.

Harry came out of the pensive a few minutes later looking completely appalled. He grabbed the cupboard to support himself so he wouldn't fall as he slowly sat down on the floor. His legs were shaking as He then looked at Dumbledore who was looking at him with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry that it had to be like that but now you know why Voldemort is so much vested in you," Dumbledore said.

"How…How often do they come true? The prophecies?" Harry asked in a dry, shaky voice as he tried to wrap his head around what he'd seen.

"Every time," Dumbledore said. "Whenever a seer goes into a trance like that a copy of the prophecy is automatically recorded in the department of mysteries. Only the seer and the prophecy's subjects can listen to it."

"Is there one…at the department of mysteries?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"The memory doesn't end there though," said the headmaster. "The other half of it is also kept in my collection although I couldn't find it. It shows that one of the death eaters, who were at Three Broomsticks that day, overheard part of Professor Trelawney's prophecy before he was caught by the people there. He somehow managed to escape and apparently informed Voldemort about it which is why from then on he focused his attacks on your parents and you. He also sent death eaters after Sybill which is why I had no choice but to hire her as a professor at Hogwarts so she could stay safe. To this day she has no recollection of it because seers don't remember their prophecies. Even if Voldemort had her he couldn't have gotten the prophecy out of her and she would've died by his hands. Soon after I heard the prophecy I informed your parents and they went into hiding. You had already been born by then. They successfully remained hidden for about a year but then, well…you know the rest."

Harry was shaking as he slowly stood up. Those last words of the prophecy were going around inside his head.

"I am sorry that such a tragedy befell upon you but the truth is you cannot run from it," Dumbledore said. "This is why I had to ensure that you had your mother's protection for as long as possible. This is why I put you in Petunia's care and also why I didn't push for Sirius' trial because then he would've removed you from your aunt's place and that would've put you in danger. Sirius thinks that he can protect you better than anyone but do you remember what happened in your first year when Quirrell possessed by Voldemort's spirit tried to touch you?"

"He…He couldn't," Harry said.

"Exactly," Dumbledore said. "The mere fact that he can't touch you puts your mother's protection above everything else. He cannot harm you directly and he won't let any of his death eaters do it for him because he is arrogant and proud. After he failed to kill you once, he has probably let it known that it would only be him who gets to kill you. I know my words sound harsh but that is probably the only assumption that makes sense when it comes to Voldemort. If he simply wanted you gone then he could've done it already but he wants to do it with his own hands so that he can have the satisfaction. Ever since I can remember Voldemort, or rather Tom was a kid with strong determination. He always did everything on his own because according to him seeking help from others made him feel indebted to them and he saw it as a weakness. He still doesn't know the full prophecy which is why I am afraid that if he returns he will try to first retrieve the complete prophecy from the department of mysteries. He is unaware of the fact that the prophecy speaks of the end for one of you. If he comes to know that then it is possible he will let go of his grudge and do anything in his power to kill you – whether he do it directly or through his death eaters."

It was all too much for Harry to process as he could only nod. "So…the only way for Voldemort to be truly gone is…is if I kill him?" he said.

"I am afraid so, Harry," Dumbledore said. "But you are not ready right now. If he sends death eaters after you then I am afraid you won't be able to get away from them. This is why you need to stay with your aunt and this is why Sirius can't be a free man otherwise he will get you to go live with him."

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Thanks for reading…