Hi all!

Ok it took me a lot of time to write this chapter as I had no inspiration at all. I decided to keep it simple and finally got people who told me it was fine so there it is :)

I hope you'll enjoy it!


A favour returned

They apparated in the middle of a cemetery. The moon was still high enough to lighten the place. Harry caught his breath and took a few seconds to look around in the meantime. The graveyard wasn't gloomy at all. In fact, it conveyed a feeling of peace and serenity. The place felt oddly familiar, yet Harry had no idea where they were.

'This, Harry, is the village in which I brought you after your encounter with the Aurors,' said Dumbledore with a low voice. 'But you've already been here before.'

Harry looked around another time before realising where he was.

'This is Godric's Hollow,' he whispered. 'My parents are buried here!'

Frantically he started to analyze the graves surrounding them looking for his parents until his gaze locked on a white stone. Hypnotized, he let his feet bring him in front of the tombstone where was engraved the names of Lily and James Potter above a strange epitaph. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Harry stood a few minutes in front of the stone, meditating on the strange words. He heard a light footstep behind and knew Dumbledore had joined him. But the Headmaster didn't speak, respecting the silence of the young man.

'Thank you,' finally whispered Harry. 'For bringing me here.'

He knelt in front of the stone and lightly caressed the names that were glowing under the moonlight. When he stood up again, his voice was steadier.

'But I guess we didn't come here only for this.'

Dumbledore nodded and headed towards another tombstone that was laying a few rows away. Harry followed quietly. The gravestone had the name "Ariana Dumbledore" engraved and was bearing the epitaph: "Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore who seemed to be deeply absorbed in thoughts of another time. The boy didn't dare to trouble the older man and waited patiently. The profound voice of his Headmaster finally rose in the night.

'Ariana was my sister,' started Dumbledore. 'When she was very young, she got caught by three Muggles while performing magic and got attacked for it. My father, enraged, killed them, and had to go Azkaban. My mother, Kendra Dumbledore, was the only caretaker of us three. My sister would have been a powerful witch had there been adults to correctly guide her. Well… Anyway, shortly after I departed for Hogwarts. I greatly enjoyed my time here. After I graduated, I wanted to travel.' Dumbledore's eyes sparked a bit to this mention. 'I had made a friend who was ready to come with me. But unfortunately, my sister who still had trouble to control her magic had a tragic outburst which resulted in the death of my mother. I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother. I had to return to my village, leaving behind my dreams of grandeur and… power.'

'I then met a young man who shared my dreams and who was, like me, brilliant and talented. I was fascinated by him and his ideas about the wizarding world. It led me to neglect my family and my brother resented me for it. We had… we had words. In a fit of anger, Grindelwald casted the Cruciatus Curse on my brother and while trying to defend him, we ended in a duel. A three-way duel. Ariana tried to help and I… I should have been a better brother than friend, I guess. It was chaos. A stray curse hit her, and she died on the spot.'

Dumbledore closed his eyes a brief instant and Harry could have sworn he had seen a tear roll on his cheeks.

'Was that wizard Grindelwald?' Asked Harry remembering an old chocolate frog card.

Dumbledore nodded.

'I never saw the darkness of his intents until it was too late,' he said with a heavy voice. 'And it costed me everything.'

Another silence fell on the graveyard and Harry reported his gaze on the tombstone. Power was the worst poison lingering in this World. Friends and family were so precious to Harry, he didn't understand why so many people, Muggles included, were so inclined to risk everything to get it.

'After I finally defeated him and saved the Wizarding World, I took refuge at Hogwarts. If there were some young people, like my sister, I could help instead of leaving them ignored by the magical world… I guess part of me imagined that I could redeem myself this way.' Dumbledore chuckled bitterly. 'But I was never able to trust anyone to the point of letting them in. Until I met you.'

Harry raised his head and realised Dumbledore was looking straight at him.

'Because of me, you grew without real parents or love, unconscious of the world to which you really belonged. And yet you never let this sorrow taint your heart. Years after years at Hogwarts you faced trials that most adults would have failed, but you never ceased to be loyal and faithful to your friends and school.'

'But it wasn't enough, was it?' Asked Harry darkly.

'It was more that enough!' Replied Dumbledore with a strong voice. 'You are more than enough, Harry,' he repeated slowly. 'I never expected to have such a person on my hands, and I realised it so late I almost lost it. Again,' he added while gesturing towards Ariana's tombstone.

Dumbledore's words touched deeply Harry. Dumbledore, as everyone else, had his part of darkness and light. But he had been able to recognize the temptation power was to him and withdraw himself from it. Harry respected that. But more importantly, he was now able to understand the choices his Headmaster had made during the past years.

'You must have felt so lonely,' finally said the boy with a heavy voice.

Dumbledore looked at him like he wanted to say something. But words seemed to elope him, and it shocked him, which wasn't an understatement, as it had never happened to him before.

'It appears,' finally said Dumbledore, 'that even at my age you can still have a lot to learn.'

Harry let a small laugh out. He was grateful that his Headmaster had finally opened himself up. Apparently, the old wizard was willing to rebuild their relationship on more solid foundation. And this foundation wouldn't contain secrets anymore.

'I didn't wish to provide you a vague apology by telling you this,' finally said Dumbledore, 'but merely an explanation. I want you to know that I am fallible, no matter what people say, and I care too much about you to let you trust a man you barely know.'

Harry nodded and considered the old man who had never been able to forgive himself for his sister's death. A man unaware of the legacy he had been able to build. Hogwarts. A wizard so haunted by his secrets he had never fully realised the gratitude of generations of students for their time at Hogwarts. The safest place in the Wizarding World.

'Well then,' said Harry with a smile, 'I guess your first lesson will be to learn to forgive yourself.'

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but couldn't help a small smile.

'I think I can help you with that,' finished Harry while raising his hand towards him.

Dumbledore reached for the hand and shook it, sealing their silent promise to repair the bond that had once bound them.

'Am I therefore correct to assume that you are going to stay at Hogwarts?' Asked Dumbledore as they were heading to the exit of the cemetery.

'I'll even graduate,' answered Harry with energy. 'The real question is what will I do after school?'

'No longer interested in becoming an Auror?'

'No… not really. Besides I am not sure they would be glad to see me join them,' laughed Harry.

Dumbledore opened the cemetery gate and led Harry through Godric's Holow's dark streets until they reached an old cottage whose upper floor appeared to have been destroyed by an explosion. Harry didn't ask where they were as he could easily guess whose house this cottage has been and what horrors it had seen.

'I think I'll travel the World,' he eventually said. 'I'll take Supra with me.'

'Supra?'

'My basilisk.'

'You can still speak Parseltongue even after…'

'Yeah, I thought about it a bit,' said Harry before Dumbledore could finish his question. 'Since the Horcrux within me has been destroy, every trace of Voldemort should be gone.' He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the silver jewel. 'But I guess I owe Parseltongue to someone else this time.'

Dumbledore stood silent but smiled. He was amazed by the ability of the boy to yield power thought he had and would never seek it. The same boy who was currently the owner of two Deathly Hallows unbeknownst to him. The Headmaster had pondered if he should let Harry know about them. But they had still, at least, two years together to talk. He would find the time to finish the boy's proper formation before his departure.

'Discovering the World is a good idea,' he said peacefully. 'I would warn any of my students against it as that kind of travel will bear its lot of danger. But I am not talking to just any student.'

'Oh, it won't be easy, I am counting on it,' replied Harry. He glanced one last time to his parents' house and turned his gaze towards his Headmaster. The serene look was back, and Harry smiled. 'But it will be easier than going back to Hogwarts right now and facing the celebration.'

'Is it what you want to do?'

'I am tired of holding a grudge against the World,' said Harry. 'And I am not against a bit of normality for the time being.'

'Well then,' said Dumbledore while raising his arm. 'Shall we?'