a/n: bad language alert, a few f-bombs are dropped in anger. sorry. this is the only chapter that has this.

Chapter 7

The trip to Hogwarts was quick enough, since all they had to do was Floo to the Ministry, travel up to the Minister's office, and Floo to the Headmistress's office. The only direct Floo into Hogwarts was the Head office and it could only be approached from the Minister's office and the Head's home. Dumbledore had chosen Headquarters as his "home" since he lived year round at the school. It had since been shut off once Dumbledore died, so the only way to Floo into Hogwarts was Kingsley's office.

They arrived in short order and surprised Minerva out a doze on a sofa.

"What is going on?" she asked sleepily. She saw Harry. "Happy Birthday Harry," she said kindly. When Harry had informed her of his decision to join the Academy she was disappointed he wasn't going to return but she understood his reasoning. She herself found it difficult to stay in this very office sometimes.

"Ah, today is the day you turn eighteen isn't Harry? I take it you received my letter?" asked the portrait of the late Albus Dumbledore. Harry stood staring at the painting and found he didn't know what to say. Reading the letter once and hearing it read to everyone again, he knew the old man had made it abundantly clear that there was no way he could tell Harry the truth. But why did he have to do it in the first place?

"Why?" he asked painfully. Everyone winced at the sorrow in Harry's voice. Even Minerva and she hadn't read the letter yet. Kingsley handed it to her and she read it quickly gasping.

"Albus! Is this true?" she asked softly. The painting nodded sadly. "How could you keep this from everyone? How could you do this?" she asked mournfully.

"I did what I thought was best for everyone," he replied delicately.

"BULLSHIT!" Harry screamed making everyone jump. Even Albus had no idea Harry would reply so emphatically and so obscenely. "WHAT ABOUT SIRIUS? DIDN'T HE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH? DIDN'T HE DESERVE THE SAME THING? FOR YOU TO RESCUE HIM FROM BLOODY AZKABAN? TWELVE BLOODY YEARS YOU LET HIM ROT THERE WHEN YOU KNEW, YOU FUCKING KNEW HE WAS INNOCENT? YOU COULDN'T DO HIM THE DAMN DECENCY AS TO SAVE HIM ALSO? YOU LET REMUS BE A BLOODY OUTCAST AND THINK THAT ALL THREE OF HIS FRIENDS DIED BECAUSE OF SIRIUS? YOU LET HIM BELIEVE THAT SIRIUS WAS A BLOODY MURDERER FOR TWELVE FUCKING YEARS? WHAT RIGHT DID YOU HAVE? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE THE BLOODY TIMELINE…Alone?" Harry screamed so loud that his voice cracked at the last word.

He was breathing deeply and tears pouring down his face again. Everyone in the room was misty eyed or crying. The emotion in Harry's voice was so full of grief and pain, they all felt it for him.

Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees and screamed out his agony. Ginny and Hermione tried to run forward to him but were held back as suddenly a bright white pulse of magic spread from Harry and whipped about the room destroying all the material possessions there was. Glass burst into powder, metal trinkets bent and twisted, books fell off the shelves and ripped in half, pages flying about. No one was hurt but they all were terrified that Harry had lost control of his magic and they were in danger.

Just as suddenly as it started it was finished. Harry collapsed the rest of the way and lay on the ground curled up in a ball sobbing. Ginny, Hermione, and Molly ran to him and each held him and cried with him.

Ron, Percy, George, Bill, Fleur, and Arthur were absolutely shocked at the power and emotion coming from Harry.

Kingsley and Minerva stared at Dumbledore's portrait where the old man sat so utterly shocked and flabbergasted at Harry's outburst that he was sitting eyes wide and mouth slightly open gripping the arm rests of his chair as if the magical burst would somehow harm him as well as the other material things. For the most part, Minerva didn't care at all about her possessions, all she wanted was the boy in front of her to have a normal life someday. Would this boy ever have a normal birthday?

Eventually, Harry calmed down enough to sit up on his own. The magical burst of energy had taken a lot out of him. Someone conjured up a recliner chair for him and everyone else and they all sat down.

Harry finally looked up at the painting of his former mentor was accusing eyes. Albus looked away ashamed. The pain in Harry's eyes was almost too much for him to bear. He honestly thought that the boy would forgive him for not telling him, but maybe he was wrong again. Like he had said once to Harry, his mistakes were usually huger than most peoples.

Harry stared at Albus Dumbledore long after the painting looked away in shame. Finally, he took a deep breath.

"Why?" he asked once more, a little bit firmer than before. He'd gotten his anger out for the most part, now he was just weary. When were the manipulations of this old man going to stop? He was dead. For over a year. Yet, still, here was Harry once again fighting off the urge to destroy this man for lying to him.

Albus sighed.

"I don't have any answer that would satisfy you Harry. I thought about it at the time when I made the whole plan, but if I had told Sirius, then I would have had to tell Remus. If I told those two, I'd have to tell Minerva and so on down the line. You know that the more people who know something, the easier it is to get out to anyone and everyone. I could not let the remaining Death Eaters know that James and Lily were alive, so I could not tell anyone. I alone carried the burden of this knowledge." Harry scoffed. Yes, the old man was right, he had no answer that would satisfy the newly eighteen year old. Now he was even trying to paint himself as a saint who had no choice. Harry was getting angry again.

"I didn't even tell the Healers who kept the two alive who they really were. I truly felt that once James and Lily were out of their comas we'd be able to remove Sirius from prison—"

"After nearly seventeen years? He wouldn't have made it that long, you barmy bastard! And now he's dead never knowing the truth! Or is he alive as well?" the guilty look on the old man's face answered Harry's rhetorical question and the boy's eyes bugged out.

"What did you DO? Did you hide him off in a coma as well? I know you couldn't save Remus and Tonks since you were already dead by then, but Sirius? When he went through the veil, you could have brought him back for the same reasons you brought my parents back! Did you?!" shouted Harry. Everyone was staring at the Portrait waiting with baited breath.

"Yes," whispered the man, as he looked down.

a/n: *evil grin* i am so evil...yes i am. evil little witch...REVIEW!