Hey everyone,
First of all, my apologies. I was so busy on other things this month that I didn't realize that we were near the end until the 29th of July. I did work on a new story and this is a preview of that story, but other than that I really didn't do any writing.
Better luck, August,

Venquine1990

Preview #26
Dumbledore's Folly

11th of August 1995
Grimmauld Place, London
Harry's POV

(AN: This first bit is part of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, at the very end of chapter 06. Same rules apply as with my CR stories.)
He felt … even worse.

But then my eyes widen as I think: "Wait, this – this is my – my chance."
Instantly several things start to happen.
My heart rate increases drastically,
My breathing becomes slightly sporadic
And my mind starts running a mile a minute.
"Harry dear, are you alright? Don't worry, I'm sure Albus will help you get through this. Not that –."

But that is all I hear of Mrs. Weasley's words of concern and reassurance. As by now only seven words are ringing through my head, words that get reduced down to four, then down to two words and then down to one.

Albus will help you get through this
Albus will help you
Albus will
Albus

That one name.
The name of a man who, without anyone knowing, utterly ruined my life two years ago.
The name of a man whose actions, as I have come to realize over the years, might have good intentions, but they always end up going horrible.
The man who, I have come to learn, claims to be one thing, but who has a dark side to him that almost no one is able or willing to see.

But while it has been almost a whole year since I last thought of that horrible act the man committed, my mind is deeply analysing everything that has happened recently.
"Back then I didn't dare voice what happened, because I didn't think anyone would believe me. It was Albus Dumbledore, after all. Who would ever believe he could have done such a thing?
But now? Fudge has been wrecking and demolishing his reputation for weeks now. And there – there's no way that man won't try to milk this hearing of mine for all it's worth.
What if – what if he turns this hearing into an all-out trial? Would he do that? Ugh, of course he would, but I – I can take advantage of that.

I can get my long-awaited justice."
And then another realization hits me. And not just mine.

I look at Sirius and only then, when I see his concerned frown, I realize that I was lost in thought and that I must not have noticed how my reaction to all these realizations must have been visible on my face the whole time.

"Harry dear, really. There is nothing –."

I am done letting Mrs. Weasley patronize me and giving me false platitudes, because she thinks she can reassure me and make me think that certain situations aren't as serious as they really are. And so, for the first time since I met her, I decide to interrupt her.
"Mrs. Weasley, I'd like to think that I've been through enough harrowing experiences to know whether or not I should take a situation seriously or not.
I am not going to believe everything will be sunshine and daisies when my future as a wizard is on the line. And unlike you, I don't put full trust in my life's future with just one man, regardless of who he is or how grand his reputation might be.
And I deeply care and respect you for your opinion, so I would deeply appreciate it if you returned the favour. You like to rely on Dumbledore, I don't."

The woman seems to feel several emotions over my words. Shock that I interrupted her. Shock that I called her out on trying to down-talk the whole situation. And even, stupidly and amazingly enough, horror that I don't feel the same level of devotion to Dumbledore as her.
And because I know her, I turn to glare at Hermione and dare her with my glare not to try and convince me either. With my glare I dare her not to contradict my words about respecting another person's opinion.

"Is there – any reason that you don't trust Dumbledore to help you through your hearing tomorrow, Harry?" Mr. Weasley, ever the voice of reason, asks me and I really want to tell him, tell them, even summon the clipboard with files I was handed two years ago.
But my mind is working overtime, just like it did when I was in the graveyard a few weeks ago, and I am using all the skills that Ron taught me through all of the times we played Chess.
Not yet. I think to myself and so I decide to focus on a different aspect of the current conversation.

"There are, but – I don't feel comfortable sharing them right now. Mostly, because – I don't want to have to repeat myself more than once. And I feel that – more people deserve to know these reasons. That Dumbledore deserves to know these reasons."
A few of those in the group around me wanted to argue with me when I refused to share the reasons, but they let me speak and now they nod in agreement with me. Yet I know that it's just because of their respect for Dumbledore that they agree with me.

Except Sirius.

He smiles at me, yet the look in his eyes proves that he suspects me to have a different reason from the one I voiced. I smile back at him, even if I feel a sting of guilt for not confiding in the one man who seems able to see Dumbledore for the flawed man that I see him.
"Well, I'm sure you can explain them to the Headmaster tomorrow, after he helped you and Amelia settle things at your hearing, dear."

Mrs. Weasley tries to decide for me. But I just roll my eyes and say: "Mrs. Weasley, this is exactly what I meant just now. Come on, everyone, think! This is Fudge's chance to really humiliate me, even more than he has been doing through the papers these last few weeks.
Can any of you really look me in the eye, in the eye, and tell me that he won't try to milk this for all its worth? That he won't try to – oh, I don't know – turn the hearing into a trial and change the time and place or something? Make me late for my own trial?

Tell me Fudge isn't pompous enough to try such a thing."

Mrs. Weasley obviously wants to do exactly that, but Kingsley, who is at the table with us, puts a silencing hand on her arm and stands up. "I better get to the Ministry and keep an ear open. Arthur, if you could stay here, I'll contact you the usual way once I know more."
The balding man looks troubled, but he nods nonetheless and Kingsley leaves the room. Mrs. Weasley splutters and tries to argue what just happened, but it's obvious.
The woman is trying to convince others, just to convince herself that this can't be happening.

I want to sigh and shake my head, but Sirius distracts me and asks: "So you're going to reveal your problems with Dumbledore during your upcoming trial? Don't you think that a bit dangerous? Your problems sound like they can get Dumbledore in a lot of trouble.
And, you know, with Voldemort out there and all –."

At this I really sigh and ask the others if I can be honest with them. Everyone nods and Mrs. Weasley even snaps that that would be appreciated. I send her a quick frown to show my displeasure with her tone of voice and snap back:
"As far as I'm concerned, you guys are so full of worshipping Dumbledore, you're underappreciating your own skills and talents.
I mean, let's face facts here. We have an escaped convict who survived the worse place on earth, a werewolf, a retired Auror, a Muggle-expert, two other Aurors, a Curse Breaker and a woman who survived raising the twins.
What has Dumbledore done – in the last decade – that is more impressive than what you have done with your lives in the same amount of time? And don't say he's a great Headmaster, that doesn't really set him apart from the other great Headmasters at Hogwarts or other schools.

And then, for Mrs. Weasley's sake, I'm not even talking about my friends and me.
I mean, Ron is the best Chess Master Hogwarts has seen in over a decade, Hermione is the witch that solved the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny survived Voldemort's manipulation and even, temporarily, managed to break his control over her, the twins are inventors with a passion for explosions that can create perfect distractions for innocent people to escape dangerous situations.

And I think everyone here knows what I've done. The stone, the Chamber, the Patronus, the Tournament and the – the Graveyard.
I'm not saying Dumbledore is worthless, I'm saying that we're worth more than you lot seem willing to realize, all because you're so focused on his greatness instead of your own.
You are so desperate to believe in him, you've been diminishing your own self-worth, your inner confidence and your self-reliance.
Mrs. Weasley, with all due respect, you claim that Ron and I are kids, but you are more dependent on Father Dumbledore than your kids are on you.

And that's more dangerous than what I have to reveal about the man.

Because if you keep being this reliant, keep going down this path, you might try to call out to Dumbledore for help – in the middle of a fight with Death Eaters. And those few seconds that you are calling out to him will give said Death Eaters the chance to curse you – maybe even kill you.
And that might be a bit of doomsday thinking, but you can't tell me that Death Eaters aren't opportunistic like that."

The others are all either looking or gaping at me as I have gone to stand up and am gripping the table with my knuckles white as I tell them my beliefs, my concerns and the reasons I believe and know what I do.

"Harry Potter, for goodness sake, you shouldn't –!"

Mrs. Weasley tries to argue with me, but I glare at her and yell:

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME I SHOULDN'T THINK LIKE THAT! YOU ARE ALL GOING TO BE FIGHTING MURDERERS! YOU CAN'T EXPECT ME TO KNOW THAT A WAR IS COMING AND NOT EXPECT EXACTLY THAT!
For magic's sake, I'm Muggle raised, Mrs. Weasley. And the Muggles have fought two horrifying, horrible and utterly destructive wars in only the last century. And all Muggles are taught about these wars, especially the latter one, at an early age.
So Hermione and I know exactly what happens to people who fight battles in a war. And just the notion that you expect me to ignore that, to ignore the notion that I might lose loved ones to that madman –

No."

I don't raise my voice in the end. Instead I lower it down to a nearly deadly tone and just stare the woman down. Mrs. Weasley seems horrified at what I just revealed to her about Muggle education. But then my attention is drawn to her husband.

The man sighs and says: "I just got a rapport from Kingsley. Molly, Harry is right. Fudge changed the time and place for the whole thing.
Harry's on trial now. And what's worse, he's going to be on trial in front of the entire Wizengamot – in Courtroom Ten."

Instantly Sirius is on his feet and snarls: "That damned bastard! That's where my deranged witch of a cousin was sentenced! How dare he put Harry on trial there. He's basically telling the Wizengamot that Harry is just as dangerous as bloody Bella. He can't get away with that!"
I put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and say: "Don't worry, Sirius. I won't let him get away with it. I'll make sure to point this out to him and to everyone else there.
And then I'll strike and tell everyone just what I think of the Headmaster and why. In fact –."

A thought occurs to me as I speak and while I know that Hermione will probably want to argue with me, I send a quick look of request to Ron before I call out:

"Dobby!"

Ron had been confused when he spotted the look, but he gets the reason behind it the minute he hears me call out. And while the eccentric little House Elf pops himself into the kitchen, Ron slaps a hand on Hermione's mouth, silencing her.
I bend down to be, somewhat, on eye-level with the excitable little being and ask: "Dobby, are you able to pop into Courtroom Ten, back at the Ministry?"

Instantly all excitement deflates from the elf and he nods, while he, for some reason, has a guilty look on his face. "Yes, Harry Potter sir." He vocally confirms it for me.
I smile at him and say: "Then tomorrow morning, a few minutes into my new trial, I need you to pop everyone here into that Courtroom. I'm going to need them to be present when I reveal to them what I have against Dumbledore, okay Dobby?

Can you do that for me?"

Dobby looks at me for a long moment and then, to my horrified shock, his big, tennis ball-shaped eyes turn to look up to the ceiling. I wonder and feel horrified at the possibility that Dobby knows of the clipboard and wonder Does Dumbledore know?
But then Dobby looks back at me and nods again, a determined look on his face as he says exactly what I need to hear to calm down my raging heart.

"Dobby will, Harry Potter sir.
Dobby will help Harry Potter sir get justice."
I sigh in relief and smile gratefully at my small, loyal little friend.
Then, just because I don't feel like hearing Hermione rant, I leave the kitchen.

Well done, Harry,
So this is all of chapter 01. I'm currently working on chapter 05 and I don't think this story will go beyond 20 chapters, 30 at best.
I plan to have most of what Dumbledore did wrong explained in Chapters 4 &5 – as I said, working on that now – then have Bill fix Harry's scar and let him be the brilliant Curse Breaker that I'm portraying him to be in Darkened Light.
Also, NO, I don't plan to kill Dumbledore, send him through the Veil or to Azkaban. His punishment will be very different and will have great and positive effects on Hogwarts. Once those are implemented and shown, I will probably end the story. I was thinking of summarizing the story, but then I'd be spoiling it.
Not doing that,

Venquine1990