Chapter Four: Lifelines
As Albus Dumbledore gazed out the window, he could hear snatches of laughter from the children outside. Now that end-of-term exams were over and summer was drawing near, stress and anxiety had given way to happiness and laughter.
His gaze was drawn to one group in particular. A trio of sixth years was sitting near the lake, laughing and talking. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, still together at the end of another year. They were all whole and happy. Even Harry. He glanced again at the black-haired boy. Especially Harry, it seemed.
The changes seen in Harry from the end of last year was nothing short of amazing. Gone was the angry, sullen boy of last year, replaced with a more upbeat and cheerful one. Yes, there were still incidents where Harry would become quiet and moody, but he had his friends to pull him through.
If it wasn't for his friends, Dumbledore didn't know where Harry would be. Or more accurately, he didn't want to consider where Harry would be, because he knew that Harry would could have become exactly like the madman who terrorized their world.
There were too many similarities between Tom and Harry to ignore. Both had lost their parents at an early age and had grown up in the Muggle world, largely neglected and ignored. Both were ostracized at Hogwarts. Each had the unique ability of being a Parseltongue. They were both determined and outspoken.
But there was one significant difference between the two, which had changed everything.
Friendship. Bravery. Harry Potter had them, Tom Riddle didn't. One had no one to fall back on or to depend on, the other had friends who were always there and refused to give up. Harry's friends had stayed with him through the dark time after Sirius' death, when he tried to push them away. They would have none of it, persisting until he gave in. Whenever he got depressed or disheartened, they were there to pull him back up.
Without his friends, Harry would have fallen into a dark pit of despair, becoming more and more like the person he was supposed to defeat. He would have gotten wrapped up in the hardships of his life instead of seeing the good.
Love had saved his life, and friendship had helped enrich and continue it.
It still amazed Dumbledore how something so simple as friendship could be so strong and so vital. Friendship had to power to heal, while a lack of it had the power to destroy. Harry and Tom were proof of that.
As he watched the trio get up, still laughing, and turn back towards the castle, he felt sure for the first time that things would turn out all right. Not immediately, but soon.
The looks on their faces were proof enough.