DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.

Dumbledore was now sitting in his office, in his chair. He couldn't believe what he had found out.

Harry, James and Lily's child, had been abused, by his own aunt and uncle; had been treated in an unforgivable manner; something which James and Lily would never have wanted for Harry, even with blood protection.

Dumbledore thought, "How could I have been so blind?!"

He knew that he should have checked up on Harry.

Minerva had warned him about those Muggles being the worst choice of guardians.

Had he checked up on him earlier, he would have found out himself just how badly Harry had been treated, and knowing that, he would have taken Harry away himself. Harry would not have had to suffer a whole two and a half years of neglect and abuse.

He was heartbroken after having found out from Amelia.

He felt as if he had failed, no, even failed was an understatement, betrayed was the word, yes, betrayed James and Lily.

Looking back, he wondered whether Petunia had really taken Harry in out of regard for her sister or simply for revenge on Lily for being magical and successful.

Perhaps she still had some regard but her feelings of jealousy towards her sister for being magical had overpowered any motherly feelings that she might have had towards Harry. Perhaps it had just been revenge that had made her take him in. Perhaps it was both.

And then, a horrifying thought came to him.

Had he once again, slipped into disregarding those that needed care for the 'Greater Good', as had once been the case when Grindelwald had been his friend, before he had lost his sister Ariana?

A memory came to him.

Albus, Grindelwald, Aberforth and Ariana were currently on a beach that they had mysteriously reached.

Grindelwald cried out, "Where are we?!"

Albus asked, "How did you know about this place?"

Grindelwald replied, "I did not bring us here, Albus."

"She did," Aberforth spoke from where he was kneeling, "she brought us here," before getting up and rushing over to a girl Ariana who was currently lying on the ground on her right side, to make sure she was okay."

"What's so special about this place?" Grindelwald asked demandingly.

Aberforth said, raising his voice, "Be quiet Gellert! You both have done enough."

Grindelwald scoffed, "Look, I don't care for you or your sister. Neither of you are part of our plan to begin with."

Aberforth retorted, "Your plans are the reason she's become more unstable."

Albus spoke, "Aberforth, this is between him and me."

Aberforth replied angrily, "Then settle it. I don't want any part."

Albus replied, "Fine, away with you both."

Aberforth hugged his sister who was currently in a sitting position and moved over to Albus saying, "Finish this so we can go home."

With that, he went and helped Ariana stand up before moving away from them, trying to get Ariana to a safe place, holding her as they moved.

Albus and Grindelwald looked at them before turning towards each other.

Grindelwald declared, "I will not change our plans for your sister, Albus."

Albus spoke pleadingly, "She is my family Gellert."

Grindelwald retorted, "And since when have you truly cared for your family?!"

Albus replied, "You're right. Our ambitions have become distracting."

Grindelwald said haughtily, "And what, now you find these ambitions to be unworthy?"

Albus replied, "I no longer find the Muggles to be below us as you do."

"But you are content to hide from them!" Grindelwald scoffed.

Albus said, "They would fear us Gellert. They no longer understand our world."

Grindelwald declared, "This is for the Greater Good. We were born superior to them. We were meant to rule them."

Albus declared in response, "To rule over the Muggles would be no different than how the British Muggles rule over India. How do they have the right to oppress anyone?"

Grindelwald asked, "Is it not because of Muggles that your sister is in the state that she is now?"

Dumbledore replied, "Her encounter with those Muggles was our fault. She was young, and we weren't paying attention to her…"

Grindelwald cut him off saying, "Your incompetence is not the point, Albus! She was met with hatred and fear and I only mean to dispel that fear by revealing our world."

"You mean to control that world," Aberforth who had just returned to Albus' side, retorted, "You cannot succeed to that end."

Grindelwald asked haughtily, "And why not little one?"

Aberforth replied, "Because you know nothing of what it takes to rule. You are weak."

Albus cut in, "That's enough Aberforth."

"No, Go on little one," Grindelwald said, goading him.

Aberforth spoke, "You lack the strength that only a family can provide. You know nothing of protecting those you love, you know only of dominance."

Albus spoke, raising his voice, "I said that's enough!"

"No," Grindelwald spoke, "He's right. I know nothing of love."

Albus Dumbledore had been unable to believe that Grindelwald knew nothing of love, given that they had been very close, best friends, lovers in fact, but Grindelwald had then proceeded to describe love as a fleeting distraction.

Grindelwald and 'The Greater Good' had taken hold of Dumbledore to the extent that he had ended up neglecting Ariana. And though he had ultimately realized it, he had not been able to prevent her death.

That had been the day when he had lost his innocent sister, Ariana.

And to think Grindelwald knew nothing of love…

At the very least, had Harry continued to live with the Dursleys without any loving figures such as Amelia, he would have arrived at Hogwarts in 1991, not whole, his childhood having been utterly destroyed.

As for the worst… he couldn't bear to think about it.

Just then, he heard a deep voice saying, "I take it Potter is not going back to the Dursleys."

Dumbledore looked up from his table to see Snape standing before him.

"No," Dumbledore replied, "Harry will never go back there. We have been wrong Severus. Amelia actually did the right thing. She did what we should have done long ago."

He then looked at Snape for a moment and said, with a slight frown on his face, "There was absolutely no need to say what you said to Harry. He's only a small child. You could have just looked at him and not said anything. You really went too far today Severus."

Snape did not say anything in response.

Dumbledore spoke, "I really feel you should think about what you said and apologize to Harry."

"That will never happen," Snape spoke, "His father never said sorry for bullying me, and as much as the boy is Lily's child, I cannot help but see his arrogant father in him."

Dumbledore said, "I cannot deny what Amelia said. I really think James would have apologized to you if you had not made that mistake of being with the wrong people. You know what I mean."

"As if he ever would have," Snape scoffed.

Dumbledore stood up and said, "Severus, there was a reason why I made him Head Boy during your final year. Yes, James was quite an arrogant teenager, a bully, and even Remus could not control him, sad to say. However, by the end of his sixth year, he had changed greatly. He had stopped bullying people and had become a responsible boy, because of which, I chose to make him Head Boy. Surely, you know that it was only after he had changed that Lily began to go out with him. Otherwise, I'm sure it would not have happened."

Snape said, "Well, that doesn't mean he deserved her."

Dumbledore sighed and looking sadly at Snape, he said, "Severus, I implore you, Harry is not his father, see him as Lily's child, try to make it up with him for what happened today, tell him about his mother…"

Snape replied, "I am not going to apologize to the son of James Potter the big swine!"

And with that, he left the office.

Dumbledore sighed and sat back in his chair.

A few minutes later, he heard a voice saying, "Albus is something the matter?"

He looked up and saw Minerva standing opposite to him.

Dumbledore replied, "Minerva, I don't blame you for hiding the fact that Amelia Bones took Harry away from the Dursleys. I am at fault for having neglected to check up on him. You were right about those people. I should have listened to you. I feel as if I have betrayed James and Lily."

Minerva said warningly, "I did tell you about those horrible Dursleys but you would not listen. And this time, you had better listen to what I have to say. You will not take Harry away from Amelia!"

Dumbledore said, "I'm not going to take Harry away from her. She was right to do what she did. In fact, she did what I should have done long ago. I don't know what I should do. How can I ever atone for such negligence and abuse?! Please tell me, how can I make up for what Harry has been through?!"

Minerva replied, "There are some things you can still do for the better. Amelia actually didn't want you to know what I have to tell you, but I suppose I can tell you that now. You see, Amelia has been trying to get Sirius Black a trial, because he didn't receive one. When she went to inform him, he begged her to make sure that Harry was alright. If he cares about his godson, then there is hope of him being innocent. Right now, the trial has been scheduled to the end of July, but you can convince the Head of Law Enforcement Crouch to advance the date. Also, Amelia needs to have legal guardianship of Harry, but at the moment, if Crouch finds out that Amelia has him, he will surely create huge problems and try to take Harry away from her saying that she's not his legal guardian and that she's holding him as a hostage or some such thing. You know how ruthless that man is. If there is anyone who can help Amelia get official custody, it's you."

Dumbledore looked at Minerva and said with determination, "Yes, I will do that, it is what James and Lily would have wanted. But first, after dinner, I need to make a house call. Would you like to join me?"

Minerva smiled at that and replied, "Sure, why not?"

NOTE: Credits for the memory in this story go to the Harry Potter film 'For the Greater Good', prequel to 'The Secrets of Dumbledore'.