Talk Over Tea III
"I'm glad you came." Dumbledore said. He was sitting in a large colorful armchair, before a low table, a kettle of tea sitting before him.
"It's not like I had a choice, is it." Harry said irritably. He sat heavily in the armchair and glared sullenly at the table surface.
"Everyone has choices, Harry." Dumbledore said mildly.
"Then, I'll be leaving." Harry said, getting up.
"Do you want to know why I asked you to come here?" Dumbledore asked, pouring tea into a cup before Harry's seat.
Harry looked at him. "I know what you're going to say. What's been lost needs to be returned, what's broken needs fixing." He said.
Dumbledore nodded, opening a tin of cookies. "Professor Sprout made these, they're quiet good. Chocolate chip. Would you like to join me for tea?" Dumbledore sat back in his chair, his eyes peering at Harry over his half moon glasses.
Harry wanted to say no. He wanted to leave, but instead he sat down. Dumbledore passed Harry a plate of cookies.
"I was speaking with Madam Hightower, the healer. Once you divulged what you were making she claims that it's only a quick potion and a little charm work to recover your memories. They were not entirely lost, only buried and forgotten." Dumbledore said, taking a sip of tea.
"What if I say no? What if I don't want these memories?" Harry asked, settling his plate upon the table, untouched.
"You would willingly forget you ever had these memories?" Dumbledore asked, an eyebrow rising slightly.
"Yes." Harry responded immediately. "Everyone I've spoke to, they've all said the same thing. You've changed; you're not moping around anymore, you're happy. I know its true; I know that these memories were terrible and they were ruining me." Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yesterday I had the most wonderful day of my life that I can remember, today I spent the day with a girl that filled my heart with joy and a sense of belonging. What will these memories do to me? Will they turn me back into that moping, sobbing boy?"
"I don't know." Dumbledore said simply, taking another sip of tea.
"Then how can you ask me to have them brought back?" Harry snapped.
Dumbledore sighed, chewing upon a cookie. "Personally I would like nothing more than for you to live a life free of pain and hurt, to live a life like any other child. But the times we live in don't allow for that. You may have forgotten your memories, but there is another that still is seeking revenge."
"Voldemort." Harry whispered. It always came back to him. The ever present shadow in his life.
"Yes. He is still out there and he is still gathering his forces and forging his alliances." Dumbledore set his cup upon the table. "He has not forgotten about you, he won't let you disappear and live a life of your choosing."
"So much for everyone having choices." Harry sneered.
"You still have choices, Harry. You could not go through with it; you could live your life as you wish, without the pain and the hurt, and the love that you once felt for your parents and Sirius. But Voldemort would still hunt you down and most likely kill you." Dumbledore said bluntly.
Harry snorted. "He could still do that even with the memories."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Why then are you so keen that I get my memories back? Why are you pushing for it? When you could just let me decided what I should do, what I want for myself."
"Things have already been set in motion. It's too late to turn back now, the war has begun and unfortunately you've become one of the many pieces that are being moved in this war. I wish that you could live a life as any other child, you don't know how much it hurts me to see you having to face all these tests and all these hurts." Dumbledore sighed. "But you still have choices. I will not force this on you; I will not make you go through with it. It's your choice. But remember, you're not the only one that will be affected by this, you have already been chosen as a champion."
"The prophecy." Harry cursed.
"Yes. The weight of that responsibility now lies upon your shoulders. I wish that I could take it for you, but these things cannot be so easily shifted."
Harry stood up. "Then I will think about it. It's still my choice. Prophecies aren't set in stone. I don't have to kill or be killed. As you say there's always choices." Harry turned and walked out of Dumbledore's office.
"I'm glad you came." Dumbledore said. He was sitting in a large colorful armchair, before a low table, a kettle of tea sitting before him.
"It's not like I had a choice, is it." Harry said irritably. He sat heavily in the armchair and glared sullenly at the table surface.
"Everyone has choices, Harry." Dumbledore said mildly.
"Then, I'll be leaving." Harry said, getting up.
"Do you want to know why I asked you to come here?" Dumbledore asked, pouring tea into a cup before Harry's seat.
Harry looked at him. "I know what you're going to say. What's been lost needs to be returned, what's broken needs fixing." He said.
Dumbledore nodded, opening a tin of cookies. "Professor Sprout made these, they're quiet good. Chocolate chip. Would you like to join me for tea?" Dumbledore sat back in his chair, his eyes peering at Harry over his half moon glasses.
Harry wanted to say no. He wanted to leave, but instead he sat down. Dumbledore passed Harry a plate of cookies.
"I was speaking with Madam Hightower, the healer. Once you divulged what you were making she claims that it's only a quick potion and a little charm work to recover your memories. They were not entirely lost, only buried and forgotten." Dumbledore said, taking a sip of tea.
"What if I say no? What if I don't want these memories?" Harry asked, settling his plate upon the table, untouched.
"You would willingly forget you ever had these memories?" Dumbledore asked, an eyebrow rising slightly.
"Yes." Harry responded immediately. "Everyone I've spoke to, they've all said the same thing. You've changed; you're not moping around anymore, you're happy. I know its true; I know that these memories were terrible and they were ruining me." Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yesterday I had the most wonderful day of my life that I can remember, today I spent the day with a girl that filled my heart with joy and a sense of belonging. What will these memories do to me? Will they turn me back into that moping, sobbing boy?"
"I don't know." Dumbledore said simply, taking another sip of tea.
"Then how can you ask me to have them brought back?" Harry snapped.
Dumbledore sighed, chewing upon a cookie. "Personally I would like nothing more than for you to live a life free of pain and hurt, to live a life like any other child. But the times we live in don't allow for that. You may have forgotten your memories, but there is another that still is seeking revenge."
"Voldemort." Harry whispered. It always came back to him. The ever present shadow in his life.
"Yes. He is still out there and he is still gathering his forces and forging his alliances." Dumbledore set his cup upon the table. "He has not forgotten about you, he won't let you disappear and live a life of your choosing."
"So much for everyone having choices." Harry sneered.
"You still have choices, Harry. You could not go through with it; you could live your life as you wish, without the pain and the hurt, and the love that you once felt for your parents and Sirius. But Voldemort would still hunt you down and most likely kill you." Dumbledore said bluntly.
Harry snorted. "He could still do that even with the memories."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Why then are you so keen that I get my memories back? Why are you pushing for it? When you could just let me decided what I should do, what I want for myself."
"Things have already been set in motion. It's too late to turn back now, the war has begun and unfortunately you've become one of the many pieces that are being moved in this war. I wish that you could live a life as any other child, you don't know how much it hurts me to see you having to face all these tests and all these hurts." Dumbledore sighed. "But you still have choices. I will not force this on you; I will not make you go through with it. It's your choice. But remember, you're not the only one that will be affected by this, you have already been chosen as a champion."
"The prophecy." Harry cursed.
"Yes. The weight of that responsibility now lies upon your shoulders. I wish that I could take it for you, but these things cannot be so easily shifted."
Harry stood up. "Then I will think about it. It's still my choice. Prophecies aren't set in stone. I don't have to kill or be killed. As you say there's always choices." Harry turned and walked out of Dumbledore's office.