Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related plot events and characters are the property of JK Rowling.

Summary: PostHogwarts. Harry must deal with the horrors of war, and in doing so he will embrace his heritage and leave a lasting legacy on the world.

A/N: Enjoy! Please read and review!

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Chapter 4: The True Power of Albus Dumbledore

"What do you suppose this is about?" asked Ron. The Gryffindor Four were making their way to the Headmaster's office.

"Honestly, Ron, have you already forgotten what we did today?" asked Hermione. She gave Ron an exasperated look.

"Er, well no, of course not. I was just wondering what more-"

"I'm sure we'll find out. Stop asking stupid questions, you big prat!" Ginny scolded her brother.

Ron gave her a mutinous look, but said nothing more. Harry had remained quiet the entire time, and Ron gave him a questioning look.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You haven't said anything in awhile," Ron replied.

Harry smirked at him. "It's usually Hermione that notices these things. Taking some pointers from her?"

Ron's ears went a bit red, and he grinned a little. "Can't help it. She's insufferable."

"Ron! How dare you…wait, where did you learn 'insufferable'?" Hermione questioned.

Ron was offended. "Excuse me? I may not have my nose stuck in bloody books half of the day but I'm not stupid. I would have thought by now you had seen that."

"Well, it's just I've never heard you use words like that!" spat back Hermione.

"Maybe if you listened a little more…" Ron began, and him and Hermione went into a full-blown Weasley-Granger argument. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and, suppressing grins, rolled their eyes. They had heard it all many times before.

It went on and escalated as they neared the gargoyle. They stopped in front of it, but Hermione and Ron didn't notice, as they were still going at it. The gargoyle stared back impassively, absorbing the scene with cold, lifeless eyes.

"Would you two shut up?" Harry asked, trying to hide the small annoyance he was feeling from his voice.

Ron and Hermione looked at him, cut off by his words.

"That's better. Coppercorn Candies," he said, to the Gargoyle. It rolled back and revealed the circular stairs. The four got on as it started to revolve upwards, towards the door of the Headmaster's office.

They got off and Harry knocked on the door.

"Enter!" came from within.

Harry opened the door and moved into the office, with his three friends following him.

"Ah, hello! So nice to see you this evening. Care for any Coppercorn Candies?" Dumbledore asked them as they took their seats opposite his desk. They all shook their heads.

"Alright then. Some day it has been for you four. Some day indeed." His eyes sparkled as they traveled from Ron to Hermione, to Ginny and finally to Harry. They lingered a bit on Harry, taking in the young man's confident posture. Harry spoke.

"Sir – Albus – what's going to happen to the rest of the Death Eaters?"

"And why do you ask Harry?"

"Well, there really weren't as many as we were expecting at the fortress. Maybe a few hundred, at most; although, all of the senior Death Eaters were there." Harry mumbled something else after that.

"What was that Harry?"

"I said, I'll bet they wish they weren't there," Harry said, meeting Dumbledore's eyes. The twinkle dimmed a little. Interesting…what did I say? Harry thought.

"I haven't truly thanked you four for what you did today, so the first thing that I want to do is just that. On behalf of myself, Hogwarts, and the rest of Wizarding and Muggle worlds, I offer the deepest thanks and gratitude. You four saved countless lives and put an end to what could have been a very long and painful war.

"Now, as to your question about Death Eaters, they are being rounded up by Ministry Aurors as we speak. They could feel the death of Voldemort through their marks, and most have given up willingly. Some had to be forcefully detained, but for the most part the round up has been painless."

"What will be their punishment?" questioned Ginny. She hoped they were all sentenced to the Veil.

"The punishment for carrying a Dark Mark is a life sentence in Azkaban. I'm sure that, unless they have specific evidence against someone, enough for a death sentence, then that is where most of them will go."

"But, Professor, didn't the Dementors flee Azkaban and join Voldemort?" Hermione looked at Dumbledore, a confused look on her face.

"Please, all four of you can call me Albus. Yes, they did flee, but the Ministry decided long ago that if they ever left again they would hire Muggle guards. They have worked spectacularly and the prison is a place that is no long devoid of any happiness."

"Why shouldn't it be?" asked Harry, rather coldly.

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment before answering. "Well, Harry, even criminals have some rights, and I have long thought that the destruction of their souls was worse than a death sentence to the Veil. The prison is a place of containment, not a place meant to drive their minds and souls out of their bodies."

"They supported the torture, murder, and rape of children. Even if they didn't participate, they did nothing to stop it. I personally wouldn't have had that much mercy for them." Harry's voice was like iron. There was no remorse in it, and worse, no feeling at all.

Ron and Hermione were a little shocked; Ginny eyed him somewhat warily; Dumbledore looked at Harry like a totally new person.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Harry. I'm rather surprised at how much your opinions on death seem to have changed," Dumbledore said, calmly. He watched for Harry's reaction, but none came. He sat expressionless.

"Why did you want us to bring our wands?" Ron asked, trying to end the uncomfortable silence that had descended.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. Please hand them to me for a moment."

The four handed their wands to Dumbledore, who took out his own wand and muttered an incantation over them. Once he did that, he gave the wands back to the four young people. They noticed that the sparkle in his eyes had dimmed a little more.

"I have just tested your wands for the last several spells that were cast from them. The results are most curious…" he trailed off, eyeing the four in front of him. I can't believe that they would use it. I would have thought that they could have found some other way to produce the desired incapacitation, Dumbledore thought to himself.

"Curious?" queried Hermione.

"Indeed. I'm quite surprised that all four of you used Avada Kedavra numerous times-"

"What would you have had us do?" Harry asked, looking Dumbledore directly in the eyes.

The sparkle drained entirely from the usually jovial gaze of the Headmaster. The lines in the old man's face lost their warmth and the smile that could be found at the corners of his lips was gone. The Headmaster no longer radiated strength and security – it was anger and a little betrayal.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny blanched from the sudden change in Dumbledore. They had never seen this side of him before. Harry, however, was not intimidated. He was still staring into the hard depths of Dumbledore's blue gaze, his emerald eyes meeting it.

"Again, I ask you, what would you have had us do?" Ginny looked at Harry. His face had become as hard Dumbledore's. His eyes held nothing and his features remained cold. She shivered at this Harry – it was much different than the normal one. He was pissed.

Hermione gazed at Dumbledore, a little fearfully. She had some idea of what he could do and the true limits of his powers, but nothing she'd ever read could prepare her for what he was like when he was really angry. He was more than angry – he was pissed.

"Anything but that, Harry." The voice of the Headmaster was icy.

"For example?" Harry replied. Ice met ice.

"They had to be killed?"

"They didn't deserve to live, Albus."

"I beg to differ, Harry. Everyone deserves life, even if they have taken it."

"And I beg to differ, Albus. Those men have raped little girls. They have tortured little boys. They have burned entire towns to the ground. They do not value life and therefore they do not deserve their own."

"So you have become the judge, jury and executioner, Harry?"

"If that's what it takes, then yes. The wizarding world felt the need to place this burden on me, and I will do anything to protect the people that I love. They were not going to hurt or abuse anyone else."

"I did not know you were a vindictive person, Harry."

"And I did not know that you cared so little about what they have done!" Harry's expressionless mask was fighting for control, and the twitching indicated that his anger was boiling near the surface.

Dumbledore, however, remained quiet and absolute in his anger. "I didn't care? I did not know you were such an accomplished Legilimens so that you could read my mind."

"I don't have to read your mind. I know you're upset that we ended the worthless existence of a few Death Eaters; it's clear how you feel."

"I'm upset that you value human life so low, Harry."

Harry snapped. "How dare you accuse me of killing without purpose? WHERE WERE YOU? YOU DID NOT FIGHT. YOU CANNOT JUDGE OUR ACTIONS BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO COWARDLY TO HELP US!"

Dumbledore flinched. He hadn't been called a coward in a long time. His voice, if it was possible, became colder than ice. "I'm not judging your actions – I'm astounded that you could take a life so easily. I thought I knew you."

"If you knew me then you would know that I'd do anything to protect the innocent. If that means defiling myself with the Killing Curse, then so be it. As for the others, they didn't have to use it. They did so because they were as angry as I was about what the Death Eaters had been doing."

"You may not realize it now, but killing in anger is how Dark Lords are created. They crave power, and what greater power than taking someone's life?"

Harry flinched this time. "You think I'm in danger of becoming another Dark Lord? You really don't know me then, Albus. My anger was righteous, fueled by the knowledge that no more kids would be abused and no more people tortured. You think it felt good to kill those Death Eaters?"

Dumbledore said nothing.

"I hated it, but I couldn't let them live. Not after what they'd done."

"So if I did something heinous in your eyes, would you not hesitate in killing me?"

Harry was up in a flash and leaning over the Headmaster's desk. His eyes boiled with intensity as he stared at Dumbledore. Through gritted teeth, Harry said, "Why are we even having this discussion? You weren't there – you were hiding in your tomb – so you have no idea what the past year has been like."

"I wasn't 'hiding', Harry. I was making sure-"

"Oh, don't you dare give me that bullshit about not wanting another Dark Lord to see your powers! THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE! Voldemort rampaged for almost a year while you were preserving your powers from him. HOW MANY LIVES COULD YOU HAVE SAVED, ALBUS? HOW MANY LITTLE CHILDREN COULD STILL BE INNOCENT?" Harry's breathing was ragged and his companions could feel the familiar trickle of power coming from him. Dumbledore ignored that for the moment.

"I've already told you how much I regret that decision. I would not have used the Killing Curse, however," Dumbledore stated, flatly.

"Let's see your 'true' powers then. Show us, so we don't keep thinking you're a big fucking phony." Hermione, Ron, and Ginny gasped when Harry said that. They could not believe that he had just insulted the Headmaster of Hogwarts as bad as he did. Harry knew what Dumbledore had done in the past and what his contributions to the Light were, but the man's stubbornness had him as angry as he'd ever been.

Dumbledore's eyes flashed predatorily, and stood abruptly. For an instant, Harry thought he was going to be struck, but squashed that thought when he saw Dumbledore begin to be surrounded by a white nimbus of light. Harry backed up and sat down, avoiding the gazes of the three people next to him.

It took him a second before he realized what he was watching – Dumbledore was going through the same transformation that Harry had discovered earlier in the day! He watched as the Headmaster was raised from the ground and shielded his eyes when the bright flash came. The crack signified that the transformation was complete, and he looked up.

Dumbledore stood behind the desk, robes, hair, and long beard swirling as if a powerful fan was on him. The twinkling gaze was positively sparkling, but it was a cold sparkle. He was surrounded by a roiling deep red aura, with small bits of black swirling within and escaping from it.

This made Harry angrier, though. He has the same fucking power that I do, and he did nothing to stop Voldemort. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! In a flash, Harry stood up and went through his own transformation. His aura matched Dumbledore's in color and intensity. Both men were furious with each other.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny couldn't believe the power coming from the two people before them. It was just so…huge. Ginny was very close to Harry, and was quite uncomfortable with the pure anger that was coming off of him. She had never felt Harry this way before, and she knew it couldn't be good for him or the others in the room, especially if he or Albus lost control.

Harry broke the silence. "You could do this, too? I can't believe it!" He laughed, but it was without humor. It was cold and disbelieving. "Do you realize how easily Voldemort fell before me? It was no contest. None at all. You could have ended this shit years ago."

Dumbledore sighed almost inaudibly. Very few people new about this power, but seeing as Harry had used it to end Voldemort's reign, there was no longer a purpose in hiding it. He felt his anger draining away, but stayed ascended.

"I've said before that what I did was a great mistake, but it seems that nothing can convince you of forgiving me. I did not reveal these powers because they are easily abused. If a Dark Lord could cause this transformation within himself, we would all be in dire trouble. Only the greatest protectors of the Light have been able to use this particular lever of power, and all so far have chosen to keep it from the Dark."

"So it's my fault that I took advantage of the tools at my disposal to get rid of Voldemort?" Harry hoped that Dumbledore was not insinuating that.

"No, Harry, I would have expected you to preserve your own life and the lives of your friends. If that meant using this power that was revealed to you, then there is nothing wrong with that." Dumbledore sighed again, and let the power drain away. He was no longer angry enough to sustain it anymore. The aura disappeared and he went to sit in his chair once again.

"However, I still do not understand the change in you. The Harry I once knew is not the Harry that stands before me. You have changed, whether for the better or not I cannot fathom. One thing is certain, though: you are very powerful. I'm just glad that we have you for the Light."

Harry could feel his anger ebbing away, and let the transformation end. He also went to sit in his chair. He looked at his friends, who were all staring at him like they'd never seen him before. The look on Ginny's face was what hurt him the most – she was afraid of him. He sighed put his head in his hands.

Dumbledore eyed the boy with pity for a moment. He had been through so much. He'd carried the weight of the prophecy on his shoulders for several years now and had fulfilled it. The fate of the world had been in his hands and he had watched many loved ones die because he wasn't there to save them. He felt an irrational sense of guilt for those that he could not save and had blamed himself for Dumbledore's own 'death'.

Dumbledore thought to himself, perhaps I've been a bit too hard on him. He did save us, after all. I still don't think using Avada Kedavra is acceptable. We'll have to discuss this more at another time.

"I think we've said enough for tonight. You can all return to your dormitories," said Dumbledore, dismissing the four of them. They got up and walked toward the door. Harry was the only who didn't meet Dumbledore's eyes before he turned and left. As they got to the door, Dumbledore spoke.

"Actually Harry, could you stay for a minute?" he asked.

Harry flinched slightly, but turned and nodded at his Headmaster. He still didn't meet his eyes. He looked back at the three and nodded to them.

"I'll be down shortly."

They simply turned away from him, still reeling from what they had heard him say to Dumbledore. Ginny's gaze lingered a little longer than the other's, expressing her hurt and confusion to Harry. He met her eyes wearily, but frowned as she abruptly turned and left. He sighed and turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Yes, Albus?"

"Sit for a moment, please."

Harry walked over to the chair and sat down. The exhaustion of the day was catching up to him – he had ended Voldemort's reign of terror, revived Snape from death, and had seen someone come back from the 'dead'. It had been quite a long day!

"Look, I'm sorry-" Harry began, but stopped when Dumbledore held up a hand.

"There is no need to apologize. I just need to reevaluate my own opinions. I'd also like, at a later date, to find out just why your new attitudes are so much different than before."

Harry nodded mutely.

"Right now, though, I'd like some information. What of the Horcruxes?"

"They were all destroyed."

"Nagini as well?"

"She was guarding the room with the senior Death Eaters in it."

Dumbledore's face clouded for a second, but it was only a passing emotion.

"What is it? What did I say?" asked Harry.

"I would have thought she would be with Voldemort, but no matter."

There was a silence for a moment. Both men seemed to be deep in thought. Dumbledore finally broke it.

"What do you know about magic, Harry?"

It was Harry's turn to have a confused look on his face. The question seemed out of place and random for their current discussion.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps I should have been clearer. What is magic?"

Harry had never heard that question asked before. He had never really thought about it, either. He had always assumed that magic was magic, much like consciousness was consciousness and could not be entirely explained.

"I'm not sure, Albus. I've never thought about it before. I suppose that it is something like our life force. It's just there."

"You are partly correct, Harry. But there is another part of it that few people realize or care about. Magic is taken for granted, which is a sad thing because it is a wondrous thing to behold if used correctly."

"What's the other part?"

"Well, that revolves around how and why magic is used. We both know that it is not freely and wantonly doled out. There has to be some thought, incantation, or purpose about using it before any results come of it."

Harry knew this much at least, so he just nodded, wondering where this was going.

"Strong magic, though, is directly tied to emotion. Anger, sadness, love…the strongest spells are created and used when the person is engulfed by the strongest emotions. The chemicals that are released into the body when these emotions take hold influence our magic and accent it. It is very interesting how the biological influences the magical."

"I've noticed that, but I've never put it into words, Albus."

"Ah, I'm sure you have. In regards to your new powers, though, do you have any idea why they suddenly are accessible?"

Harry shook his head, slowly. Actually, he did have a small idea. "Before it happened, Voldemort showed me images of what he planned on doing to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny after he killed me. It was terrible – I'll never forget those images. When he showed what he had planned for Ginny, something in me snapped.

"It wasn't out of anger. I wasn't angry at that point. I was thinking that my friends didn't deserve that and I loved them too much to let it happen. The emotion that I was feeling was love, and it was the catalyst for the transformation."

Harry looked up at Dumbledore and saw that he was nodding. He continued. "Just a few minutes ago, that was anger. So I'm assuming that these powers are tied to emotions, even more so than regular magic."

"Well, Harry, what we can both do is still 'regular magic'. It is nothing more than the next level. It only takes one emotion powerful enough to unlock that power," Dumbledore explained.

"Then why haven't more people been able to use it?"

"The kind of emotional intensity that it takes is something that the majority of people never experience in their lives. Even the death of a loved one can't produce the amount of raw feeling needed. Righteous anger – truly righteous anger and the kind of protective love that you were feeling are some of the things that can unlock it."

Harry smiled wryly, surprised that he still had the ability to do so. "I always thought I wasn't very emotional."

Dumbledore returned the smile, gratified that the young man in front of him still had the presence of mind for some humor.

"Well, I think we can all surprise ourselves every now and then. Once you unlock this power, you can call it much easier, as I'm sure you can tell. Each new emotion brings new auras and new powers specific to that emotion. Some powers overlap, but most are tied to the strengths and weaknesses of that emotion."

"Was that your true power before?" Harry asked, somewhat timidly. He had pissed of the Headmaster, and surprisingly hadn't suffered the consequences. Haven't suffered them YET. Who knows what he's going to do, he thought ruefully.

"Yes, and I daresay that we are fairly evenly matched." Dumbledore suddenly acquired a pensive look on his face. Harry waited for him to explain what he was thinking about.

He didn't have to wait long, though. "I'm curious, Harry. Would you be willing to duel me tomorrow?"

"Um…sure. If I might ask, though, why?" Harry had a feeling this was one of the consequences of his actions that night.

"The students and faculty should have some sort of demonstration of what we can do. They have the right to know, I suppose. I'd also like to see how you fight, as well. I've always wanted to duel you, but you were never powerful enough for a true challenge."

He's always wanted to duel me? Damn, what did I do to deserve this? Harry considered it an honor and a punishment. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but not many people have had the opportunity to duel him. He was supposedly the most powerful wizard of the Light since the age of Merlin. And he said we are evenly matched!

Harry's green eyed twinkled merrily. Dumbledore was relieved to see the gleam come back to Harry's eyes. "Sure, Albus, I'd love to."

"Very well. Tomorrow after lunch would be appropriate, I think. For now, I bid you goodnight."

Realizing that he had just been dismissed, Harry turned and left. He walked back to the Gryffindor common room in a daze. I'm dueling Albus Dumbledore tomorrow! …I'm dueling Albus Dumbledore tomorrow…Shit.

"Basilisk Brains," Harry said to the portrait. It opened and he entered. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting. Very interesting, indeed.