Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just borrowing it for a bit of nonsense.
No More Mysteries
by: MayorHaggar
Chapter 6: Meeting at Hogwarts, Part 2
McGonagall glared at him, irritated that he'd brushed aside Harry and Hermione's complaints against Snape-complaints she herself had been making for years. He refused to look at her, though, so she turned her attention to her two Gryffindors. Dumbledore did the same, observing the two teens in silence.
Harry and Hermione were staring intently at one another, communicating without actually speaking. Finally, after several long moments of silence, both teens nodded, and Harry shifted in his seat, looking back at Dumbledore once again.
"Then I'm pulling out of Hogwarts," Harry said firmly.
McGonagall gasped, her face turning white, but Dumbledore barely remembered that she was even still in the room. His brain simply couldn't comprehend the words he'd just heard. Surely, Harry didn't say what he thought he'd said? The possibility was unthinkable. Dumbledore stared at Harry blankly, waiting for him to repeat himself so he could find out what he'd actually said. But Harry remained silent, looking back at him with an unwavering stare. Realising that he would need to be the one to move the conversation along, Dumbledore searched for the right words.
"I'm sorry, Harry, I'm afraid I misheard you," Dumbledore finally managed. "Could you please repeat that?"
"If you give Snape the Defence job, I am going to withdraw from Hogwarts immediately," Harry reiterated. "I will not leave it up to that git to teach me how to defend myself."
Dumbledore couldn't pretend to have misunderstood him this time. Harry really had just threatened to leave Hogwarts! Did his hatred of Severus truly run so deep? Dumbledore stared at Harry in absolute shock, but the revelations weren't finished just yet.
"Nor will I," Hermione chimed in. "If you're willing to give an abomination of a teacher like Snape such an important job while we are in the middle of a war, then Hogwarts clearly isn't the best place for me to be."
Now, things were beginning to click into place inside of Dumbledore's mind. Harry was a strong-willed individual who would willingly defy authority if he thought it was necessary. But this was not an impulsive decision; Dumbledore could sense it. Harry wouldn't have blurted something like that out without thinking about it first. He'd come into this meeting today with this thought already in his mind, and so had Hermione. That was why he'd insisted she come along; they'd been planning to confront him. His announcement about Snape just brought it on even more quickly. But why did they think this course of action was necessary?
As Dumbledore was too busy thinking things over, it was his colleague who raised the first objection.
"But-what about your education?" McGonagall asked, stunned. "It would not be easy to transfer to another school, especially so close to the start of term."
"We've looked into that. We know that, depending on the school, we could possibly have to sit out a term if we transfer now. But if it's necessary, both Harry and I are willing to do so," Hermione said matter-of-factly. This confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions: they had walked into his office with this idea already having been formed. Not only that, but they'd taken the time to look into other schools. This was a calculated move on their part, and one they'd taken care to hide from him until this very moment. For once, Albus Dumbledore had been caught completely off-guard.
"You certainly seem to have done considerable research on this matter, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said, his voice much calmer than he felt inside. "Yet, before this meeting began, I doubt you had even the slightest inkling that I was planning to offer Severus the job. I must say that I'm rather curious as to why you seem to have looked into the transfer policies of other magical institutions."
"That shouldn't be too hard to figure out," Harry replied. "We were already thinking about leaving Hogwarts before today. You giving Snape the Defence job only makes our decision easier."
"I understand that you're upset with Albus-and with good reason, in my opinion," McGonagall stated, shooting her superior a dark look, "but I do find it odd that his questionable decision regarding the prophecy upset you to the point that you've been considering a transfer."
"This goes far beyond the prophecy, or Snape," Hermione insisted. "Headmaster Dumbledore has made several questionable decisions over the years. Some of them have affected the quality of education offered, while others have actually put the students in immediate danger. We came here today knowing it might be our very last time inside the castle. And, like Harry said, Snape becoming the new Defence professor made up our minds for us." Dumbledore frowned, but said nothing. He had an idea of some of the events they might be referencing, but it troubled him that they seemed to think he might have been at fault for them. Prior to his little outburst at the end of last term, Harry hadn't seemed to place much blame on him for events that had occurred within Hogwarts, so why now? What had changed?
"I'm sorry to hear that," McGonagall said with a frown, before asking the same question that had been on Dumbledore's mind, "but why did you spring this on us now? Why didn't you come to either Headmaster Dumbledore or myself with these problems before now?"
"Truthfully, I didn't see how many problems there really were," Hermione answered, before stopping to consider. "Or maybe I didn't want to see them. Either way, Harry helped open my eyes this summer. And once he got me started, I began to look back on my 5 years at this school in a very different light."
This was bad, Dumbledore thought to himself. Very bad indeed. He knew that he'd made a few errors in recent times, most notably in regards to how he'd handled Harry since Voldemort's "rebirth" a little over a year earlier. But he was not used to others examining his decision-making enough to notice on the rare occasions that he did slip up, much less have the courage to call him out so openly. Not to mention, Hermione's answer seemed to suggest that his mistakes went back considerably further than a year.
"By all means, Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter, share your grievances with us," Dumbledore said quietly, any hint of his usual jovial demeanour long gone. He fought down his sense of foreboding, and strived not to dismiss what his two students said out of hand. He did not doubt that both students were sincerely considering leaving the school, and knew he must do whatever he could to ensure that that did not happen. It was absolutely imperative that Harry Potter remained at Hogwarts, both for his own good and for the good of the budding war with Voldemort. He needed to hear them out, and do whatever he could to respond to their issues and restore their faith in both Hogwarts, and himself.
"We have problems with some of the Hogwarts faculty, but that's not the biggest issue. The biggest issue is the safety of this school. It's supposedly well-protected, but Harry has found himself in life-threatening situations every single year," Hermione said. Dumbledore couldn't argue with that; Harry and his friends got themselves mixed up in some crisis or another on a regular basis. But he failed to see how this was all his fault.
"That's true, Ms. Granger," McGonagall agreed, "but is the Headmaster really responsible for that? I seem to remember Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and yourself ignoring the warnings of the faculty, and actually seeking out those dangerous situations."
Dumbledore smiled, pleased that his Deputy Headmistress had backed him up. If he'd said those same words in defence of himself, it would not have had the same impact. Hearing them from her would likely carry far more weight for Harry and Hermione.
Or so he thought. But, to his surprise, he noted that neither Harry nor Hermione seemed the least bit swayed. They looked just as determined as before, if not more so. Hermione looked directly at her Head of House, not backing down an inch.
"Like the incident with Professor Quirrell and the Philosopher's Stone, you mean?" Hermione asked. McGonagall nodded, but Hermione appeared unphased. "Yes, we willingly went into that situation, knowing it might threaten our lives. But we did that because we had to. Someone had to prevent Voldemort from getting his hands on the Philosopher's Stone. The Headmaster couldn't do it. He was lured out of the castle by a phony letter from the Ministry-and, for some reason, he decided to fly there when he could've simply apparated or used the floo." Dumbledore looked and felt sheepish at this rebuke, but Hermione singled out the other adult in the room next. "We tried to come to you and tell you what was happening, Professor McGonagall, but you refused to listen to a word we were saying. That left it up to us. Three first years had to prevent Voldemort from gaining immortality. I don't think that hurts our point at all. I think it helps prove it."
Dumbledore closed his eyes momentarily, trying to come up with a feasible defence. Eventually, one came to him. "I think you would have found that the stone would have been safe until I got back to the castle. The mirror would not have worked for Voldemort and Quirrell. That's why you were able to catch up to them, Harry, and I am confident that if you three hadn't gotten involved, they would still have been stuck at that stage of their plot when I returned. Your efforts were admirable, but unnecessary."
"You can't say that for sure," Harry fired back. "You think you're so clever, and no one can outsmart you. But Voldemort's done it several times, hasn't he? He just did it a few months ago, and he did it with the goblet in my 4th year, too. Who says he couldn't have done it then, and found a way past the mirror? And besides, there's another problem with this. Why was the stone in Hogwarts to begin with?"
"As I told you, Harry, Nicolas Flamel asked me to relocate it because he feared that Voldemort would attempt to steal it," Dumbledore answered calmly. This was true; it had been his friend Nicolas that approached him about moving the stone out of its vault in Gringotts. Since it hadn't even been his idea to move it, he hardly felt it was fair for Harry to place the blame on him.
As he was about to learn, though, Harry didn't see it quite the same way.
"So you decided that you'd move it to a school?" Harry said hotly. "You put every bloody Hogwarts student in danger by hiding the stone inside the castle! If you hadn't put it here, we wouldn't have had to risk our lives to keep it out of Voldemort's hands in the first place!" Dumbledore broke eye contact with Harry and bowed his had. He had no response for that criticism.
Hermione picked up where Harry had left off. "And how about the Chamber of Secrets in our 2nd year?" she asked. "Several Hogwarts students-myself included-were petrified by that basilisk. That was another example of this school not being near as safe as you claim it is."
"Indeed it was," Dumbledore agreed, "but I don't believe I could have handled that situation any differently. The faculty and I did the best we could to protect the students, but we didn't have enough information to go on. Also, I hope you don't mind my doing so, but I would point out that you, Harry, withheld information from me that might have helped. If you'd told me about the voices you were hearing, perhaps we'd have been able to get to the bottom of that dilemma sooner."
"That's fair. I should have told you what I was hearing," Harry said. "But it still doesn't excuse you from not figuring it out based on what you did know. Hermione, a 2nd year, got to the bottom of it long before anyone else. None of your professors could make the connection between petrified students and basilisks? All the information you needed was right in your own library! But, again, it was up to us. Hermione had to figure out what it was that was attacking the students, and after it petrified her, Ron and I had to find the chamber, deal with the basilisk and save Ginny."
"That's true, Harry," Dumbledore said with a nod, "but I feel I should mention that, being a Parselmouth, you were uniquely suited to handle that particular problem. Even if I had known precisely what lurked in the Chamber of Secrets, and known exactly where the Chamber was, I would have been powerless to do anything to stop it. In the end, only you could have saved Ginny."
"I still don't see how you didn't at least figure out a basilisk was responsible, but we have plenty of other problems we want to bring up, so let's just move on," Hermione said. "In our third year, we gradually unravelled the truth behind what happened the night that Harry's parents were killed. We learned that the commonly-held belief was wrong; that it was Peter Pettigrew, and not Sirius Black, that betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort. I think it's fair to say that just about anyone in the wizarding world would be stunned to hear that, after all these years. But when we told you what we'd learned, you didn't seem surprised at all. You believed our story quite readily. It makes me wonder if maybe you suspected the truth all along."
Dumbledore felt the sting of that accusation. Did they really think so little of him, that they could believe that he would knowingly allow an innocent man to rot in Azkaban? One glance at Harry told him that he felt exactly the same as Hermione. Had Harry's faith in his Headmaster been shattered so completely?
"Before that day, I did not have the slightest inkling of what had really happened," Dumbledore insisted. "Your parents never informed me that they had switched Secret Keepers, so as far as I knew, Sirius was the only one who could have betrayed them to Voldemort. There was simply nothing that suggested any other possibility. As to why I so readily believed what you were telling me? That was simple. If Sirius really had betrayed your parents and joined Voldemort's side, destroying you would've been his top priority upon breaking out of Azkaban. And yet, you came face-to-face with Sirius, and he made no attempt to harm you or abduct you. Once I accepted that as fact, your story became much more plausible."
"But why didn't you push for him to be given a trial?" Harry countered, his voice rising. "With your influence, I bet you could've pulled that off. And even if you thought he was guilty, didn't he at least deserve a chance to defend himself before he got chucked in Azkaban with the bloody Dementors?" Harry's voice was full of so much anger and contempt, it gave Dumbledore pause. He made a concerted effort to phrase his reply carefully, not wanting to anger him any further.
"If I'd pushed for it very strongly, perhaps I would have been able to ensure a proper trial for Sirius," Dumbledore began. "Since I myself presented evidence indicating that Sirius had been the Secret Keeper, though, it would have been very difficult to pull off, even for me. There was sufficient evidence to link Sirius with the crime, and with the public outrage towards him, speaking up on his behalf would have been a very dangerous political move. And since I too believed that he was guilty, I did not see much point in the effort. Truthfully, my chief concern at that time was your safety, Harry."
"You said there was evidence that linked him to betraying the Potters, but he still should have been given a chance to defend himself!" Hermione replied. "He could've been given Veritaserum, or a Pensieve could've been used to view his memories!"
"Neither of those would have been permissible in court," McGonagall stated. "There is an antidote for Veritaserum, and a master Occlumens can also resist its effects. Also, someone under Veritaserum only states what they believe to be the truth, not necessarily what is the truth, meaning the testimony of a defendant whose mental health was in question would be worthless. And as useful as Pensieves are, memories can be tampered with, if the witch or wizard is talented enough to do so."
Dumbledore could see that Harry wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer, but accepted that they were being honest with him. Wanting to move the conversation along, the Headmaster spoke up. "Even if I had managed to procure a trial for Sirius, there would have been no hope of an acquittal-not without evidence. Now, what else would you like to discuss?" he asked.
"There are things from 4th year that we could bring up, but I want to jump to this last year...the one that started to change my opinion of you," Harry said, the contempt in his voice making Dumbledore very uncomfortable. "At the end of term, you explained why you never told me about the prophecy. I'm mad as hell at you for hiding that from me, but you've given me your explanation, and I understand it. But I still don't get why you treated me the way you did during the year. You ignored me, and went out of your way to avoid me. I know that you said you didn't want Voldemort to be able to learn anything important, but that just doesn't make sense to me. All you really did was make me feel even more isolated and alone, which played right into Voldemort's hands. You ignoring me and keeping me in the dark just made me all the more determined to find out what was going on, and Voldemort used that to his advantage. If you'd told me what I needed to know, instead of treating me like a child, maybe I would've known better than to walk into that trap he laid in the Department of Mysteries."
"I readily acknowledge that I made several mistakes where you were concerned, Harry," Dumbledore said with a heavy sigh, "but I feel I have already done my best to explain my reasoning in making those decisions. Ignoring you was a mistake, yes. I'd hoped that doing so would make it less likely for Voldemort to try and influence you through your unique...connection, but I was wrong. I should not have ignored you, and I apologize for that. Should I have told you about the prophecy much sooner than I did? Yes, I should have. At the very least, I should have told you of its existence once I decided that Voldemort would attempt to get it. I did consider doing exactly that, but it was your own personality that led to the discarding of that option."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked angrily. "Are you trying to say it's my fault that you hid the prophecy from me?" Dumbledore shook his head quickly, eager to clarify what he'd meant.
"No, Harry, that's not what I am trying to say," Dumbledore insisted. "It was not your fault in the least. It was my decision, and I take full responsibility for it. I am merely trying to explain myself. As you know, I was still not ready to share the contents of the prophecy with you at that time, because I thought it would be too great a burden for you to bear. Over the last year, I did contemplate telling you that there was something Voldemort was after within the Ministry of Magic building, and that only you and he would be able to retrieve it. However, you are a naturally curious person, Harry. It must be in your blood, because your father was exactly the same way." Dumbledore said this last bit with a slight smile on his face, trying to improve Harry's mood to some degree. Harry just continued staring at him frostily, however, so Dumbledore moved on.
"You've shown your extreme curiosity many times in the past, Harry," Dumbledore continued. "If something catches your attention, you will pursue it relentlessly. You did it with the Philosopher's Stone, you did it with the Chamber of Secrets, you did it with Sirius Black. I was afraid that giving you any information about the prophecy would only lead to you trying to get your hands on it yourself, so you could find out what it said. In the end, it happened anyway, but for a very different reason."
"You have a point about Harry's curiosity," Hermione agreed. Dumbledore smiled, relieved that he seemed to have at least brought Hermione around, but the feeling was short-lived. "But you know what the best solution would have been? Actually telling Harry exactly what he needed to know. He wouldn't have rushed to or been lured to the Department of Mysteries if you'd just told him what that prophecy said...what his parents died for." Dumbledore opened his mouth to try and defend himself, but McGonagall cut him off.
"She's right, Albus. As much as you might have wished to shield him or protect him, you knew how big a role Harry will evidently be forced to play in this war. You should have been doing more to prepare him for it, rather than keeping him in the dark just like the rest of us."
Dumbledore frowned, both surprised and dismayed that his Deputy Headmistress continued to back their students' claims, giving weight to them in the process. If she continued to do so, it would make it even harder for him to appease Harry. He briefly considered attempting to dismiss his colleague from the meeting, but he worried that that act of self-preservation could turn Harry and Hermione even further away from him.
"Do you get it now, Headmaster?" Harry asked. "Do you see that it isn't just about Snape, or about the prophecy, or any one thing? As much as people look up to you, and look to you to lead them, you've made several decisions that have affected me greatly. Whatever your reasons for doing what you've done, I've lost my faith in you. And that, more than anything else, is why Hogwarts doesn't seem like the best place for me to be any more."
Dumbledore removed his half-moon spectacles and rubbed his hand across his face, at a loss for words. Every decision he'd made had been "for the greater good", but he was only now beginning to see things from Harry's point of view. He'd always been so sure that his judgement was sound, and his decisions were the correct ones. The past few months had proven that, for all his cleverness, he was not infallible after all. And over the past few minutes, Harry and Hermione had made that fact abundantly clear. He had had the very best of intentions, but some of his decisions were now coming back to haunt him. In particular, his attempt to shield Harry as best he could by withholding things from him. That was simply the way he was accustomed to dealing with things; he gave information out very reluctantly, and only when he felt it was absolutely necessary. He told people only what he felt they needed to know, and trusted only himself with the rest. It had always seemed like the best approach in the past, but doing it with Harry had been a huge mistake. He may have done so with Harry's happiness in mind, but what he had ultimately done was drive a wedge between them. A wedge that was apparently about to drive Harry away from Hogwarts, and out on his own.
"As I said, I acknowledge that I have not always made sound judgements where you are concerned, Harry," he said softly. "I do apologize for the mistakes I have made, and the pain they have caused you. I am also sorry that you no longer have faith in me, though I understand why you feel that way. If nothing else, I hope you can accept that I am sincere in my regret?"
After a brief pause, Harry nodded slowly. "I do, sir," he said quietly. "I believe that you were doing what you thought was best. But that isn't enough. Some of your decisions have backfired spectacularly, and no one has paid the price for them more than I have. Well, except Sirius, I guess," Harry finished, an anguished look on his face. McGonagall looked at him in silent sympathy, while Hermione placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Dumbledore felt his pain as well, but as there were no adequate words of comfort he could offer, he tried to help in another way: letting Harry get his troubles off of his chest.
"Your problems with me aside, was there anything else that influenced your decision to look into other institutions?" he asked openly.
Harry and Hermione talked quietly amongst themselves for a moment before answering him. "There is the obvious issue of Defence Against the Dark Arts," Hermione stated. "Harry's said before, and I agree, that it is the most important subject taught at Hogwarts, yet we've had a poor instructor almost every year."
Harry took over from there, as he began naming off the various DADA professors during their time at Hogwarts, along with their respective shortcomings. "Quirrell was too busy stuttering and trembling to actually teach us anything-oh, and he tried to kill me at the end of the year. Lockhart was an incompetent idiot who couldn't have taught us anything if he'd tried-and when Ron and I forced him to go down to the Chamber with us so we could save Ginny, he tried to Obliviate us. The fake Moody was actually a halfway decent teacher, even if he was a Death Eater under Polyjuice. Of course, him setting a trap that took me straight to Voldemort, and then trying to kill me himself when his master failed, sort of wiped out whatever good he did. Umbridge was, of course, a bloody nightmare who was only there to push the Ministry's garbage down everyone's throats. In our five years here, there's only been one Defence teacher I actually liked: Moony."
"And even he threatened our lives at one point, though he wasn't 'himself' at the time," Hermione added with a smirk.
Dumbledore smiled inwardly, pleased at this particular objection. He felt he had sound arguments that absolved him from the blame for most of their complaints about the DADA professors. In the process, he could hopefully begin convincing them that, even if they had their gripes towards him, Hogwarts wasn't such a bad place to be after all.
"I agree that Defence Against the Dark Arts is a most crucial subject for our students to learn," Dumbledore began. "And while I do also agree that the quality of instruction has not always been strong in that particular course, I do believe there are plausible reasons for that. Perhaps the two of you have heard the rumour that the job is cursed?"
"That's rubbish," Hermione responded, scoffing. "It's just a silly superstition, and nothing more. How could someone place a curse on a job?"
"It may well be rubbish," Dumbledore conceded, "though I have my doubts. You likely aren't aware of this, but Tom Riddle himself has applied for the position. Twice, in fact. And after he was rejected for the 2nd time, no one has ever held onto the job for more than a single school year. Whatever we may think of him, there is no denying that Tom Riddle-or Lord Voldemort, as he now prefers to be called-is an extremely powerful wizard. If anyone would be capable of something as odd as cursing a job, it would be him."
"I still don't believe it," Hermione insisted. "How would he be able to do something like that? It's just illogical."
"Even if you are right, Ms. Granger, all that matters is that it has become a widespread belief that the job is cursed. As a result of that notion, it is a nearly impossible position to fill. The longer we go without a single professor lasting more than a year, the harder it becomes to find anyone competent who is willing to take the job. I gave it to Professor Quirrell in your 1st year because he had always been a reliable instructor while teaching Muggle Studies, and with his sudden willingness to take the Defence job, he appeared to be the best candidate. You may remember that, in your 2nd year, Gilderoy Lockhart was the only applicant for the job, so I had little choice but to hire him, whether I believed his stories or not." Hermione nodded slowly, accepting what he'd said thus far. Dumbledore smiled in response, and his voice took on a more cheery tone as he continued.
"It took considerable coaxing on my part to convince Professor Lupin to take the job in your 3rd year, but I am pleased that you felt he did an admirable job. I believe Alastor Moody would also have been a good Defence teacher, had Barty Crouch Jr. not deprived him of the opportunity. And as you have already remarked, I had no say in Dolores being given the position this past year. I would rather have let the subject go untaught than allow that woman to set foot on these grounds, but I had no choice in the matter. I know that Defence hasn't always been well-taught during your time here, and for that I do apologize. However, I hope that you can see that I have done the best that I can under the circumstances, with next to no one wanting to take the job."
"I guess I see your point," Harry remarked, drawing a broad smile from Dumbledore. "But that still doesn't explain why you've never tried to teach me any advanced spells or anything, especially since you knew that some of the Defence teachers were shoddy. If you knew all along that it'd be up to me to get rid of Voldemort once and for all, you should have done more to prepare me for it."
"Perhaps I should have, Harry," Dumbledore said, "but as you've already heard my reasoning for not doing so, I do not think there is anything to be gained by rehashing that topic. Now, is there anything I can do to convince you to remain here at Hogwarts?"
Hermione looked as if she was about to reply, but Harry waved her off.
"Before we came in here today, I hoped that there was. I hoped you could convince me to stay, because honestly, I don't want to leave this place behind yet. It's the closest thing I've ever had to a home, not to mention that having your support-true support, not secrets and manipulation-would be a huge help against Voldemort. But as soon as you said that Snape was going to be the Defence teacher, I knew I couldn't stay."
"You are quite insistent on this, aren't you, Harry?" Dumbledore said quietly. "No matter what else I might offer, you truly will leave Hogwarts if Severus becomes the Defence instructor." Dumbledore's last sentence was more a statement of fact than a question, but Harry answered it anyhow.
"Yes, I will. I'm not sure where I'll go just yet, but I'm not staying here if that petty wanker gets the job."
"I feel exactly the same way. If Harry leaves, I'm leaving with him," Hermione offered, backing her best friend up.
Dumbledore knew that they meant it. If he went through with his plan to give the job to Severus, Harry would leave, and he would take Hermione with him. He simply couldn't allow that to happen. Harry needed to remain at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore would do whatever he had to do, make any concessions he needed to make, to ensure that he stayed.
"Very well," Dumbledore said, resigned. "You two have made your point. If you are that opposed to it, then I will not offer the job to Severus."
"Really?" Harry said, regarding him with scepticism. Dumbledore could see that the boy no longer trusted him as he once did, and resolved to do what he could to regain that trust, if given the opportunity.
"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore affirmed. "I may trust Professor Snape with my life, but I understand that he hasn't given you cause to feel the same way. If Severus becoming the new Defence professor would drive you from Hogwarts, then I will just have to find someone else to take the job. It may be difficult on such short notice, but I will see what I can do."
After staring at Dumbledore silently for several long moments, as well as sharing a look with Hermione, Harry finally replied. "I'm surprised," he said. "I didn't think you'd change your mind. Can't remember you ever doing it before."
Dumbledore regarded him seriously. "I do believe that Severus would have made an excellent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. However, as you and Ms. Granger have seen fit to point out to me, my decisions have not always been the best, particularly of late. And you are correct that Severus' classroom behaviour is not what it should be. My own feelings towards Severus notwithstanding, I would imagine you two would not be the only students who would have been upset had he been given the position." Hermione snorted at that understatement, but Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"Aside from that, I cannot give him the position if it would lead to you dropping out of Hogwarts. Keeping you here is one of my top priorities, Harry. It will eventually fall to you to defeat Voldemort, and I must do whatever I can to aid you. It would be rather more difficult for me to aid you if you were to leave Hogwarts. Even if you did not bear the weight of such a great burden, though, I believe I would still wish to keep you here at Hogwarts if at all possible. You are quite a remarkable young man, Harry, and I believe in you. I believe that, when the time comes, you will be up to the task."
"And if...if I stay...you'll help me get ready for it?" Harry asked. "You'll teach me things that will help against Voldemort and his Death Eaters?"
"I will do what I can to help you prepare, yes," Dumbledore assured him. "If you want my honest opinion, though, it won't be any intricate curse or special power that will allow you to beat Voldemort in the end. You will beat him because of your selflessness. When innocent lives are threatened-particularly of those that you care for-you become more powerful than Voldemort could ever be. He will never fight to protect the well-being of others, because he cares for nothing and no one but himself. You'll have something meaningful to fight for, and Voldemort will not. In the end, that will be his downfall."
Dumbledore did his best to show Harry that he meant every word that he said-that he did believe in him, and he would do his best to help him prepare for his eventual showdown with Voldemort. Harry looked him in the eyes for what felt like hours, but neither of them spoke. Dumbledore was trying to convince Harry that he was sincere, but he could see that Harry still looked doubtful.
"And will you keep Harry informed about what's going on with the war?" Hermione asked on her friend's behalf. "Will you stop hiding things from him, and stop trying to keep him in the dark?"
Dumbledore looked back and forth between both Hermione and Harry, seeing that this was another crucial point. At that moment, he made a quick decision that would eventually change the entire complexion of the war.
"I will make you a deal, Harry," he began. "I will keep you abreast of everything that happens in the war. When I learn something that is worth knowing, I will share it with you as soon as I have the opportunity. In return, you must promise that if you happen to learn anything important, whether it be through your connection with Voldemort or through some other means, you will come straight to me, or to Professor McGonagall if I am unavailable. You will share it with us, and let us decide the best course of action to take. You, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley must not rush off into the middle of a conflict all by yourselves, as you have been prone to do in the past."
"That's fair," Harry agreed. Dumbledore smiled, happy that he and Harry seemed to be on the same wavelength once again.
"So, will you two be returning to Hogwarts as scheduled?" Dumbledore asked, as calmly as he could manage under the circumstances. Harry glanced at Hermione briefly before answering.
"Yeah, I guess we will," Harry said. Dumbledore smiled in overwhelming relief, but Harry wasn't done just yet. "That doesn't mean everything's fine between us, though. I'm still angry about a lot of the things you've done, and I don't trust you the way that I used to. I don't know if I ever will again," he finished quietly. Dumbledore nodded solemnly, understanding that he would have to earn Harry's trust back after all that he'd kept hidden from him.
"And it doesn't mean we won't change our minds in the future," Hermione added. "If we think you haven't lived up to your word, transferring is still an option. We'll even do it in the middle of term, if we need to."
"Understood, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said affably. "You are certainly entitled to pull out of the school at any time, should you find it lacking. I sincerely hope that that will not be necessary." Harry and Hermione both nodded, and Dumbledore gave them both his best grandfatherly smile. "Thank you both for giving me a chance to make amends for past mistakes," he said.
"You're welcome, Headmaster," Hermione said. "And thanks for listening to us. We both know that you can be a big help to Harry. But I hope you realise that this is your last chance. Harry and I are both reluctant to return, after everything we've gone through in this castle, but we're coming back because we know how great a help you could be for Harry. Don't make us regret it."
"I will do my very best to ensure that you don't," Dumbledore said, looking directly into Harry's eyes as he did so. He saw the determination in those emerald orbs, and knew that he would need to do exactly that. Once upon a time, Harry believed in him, had faith in him. But the mistakes he'd made in the past had ruined that, and now, Harry did not trust him to do what was best, or to make the right decisions. He would need to do exactly as he'd promised. He would need to keep Harry informed, and he would need to teach him whatever he could. The two of them had to work past this trust issue and form a united front against Voldemort.
The fate of magical Britain depended on it.
--NMM--
A/N: For those of you who might be disappointed that Harry & Hermione are returning to Hogwarts: they meant what they said. They'll be paying close attention, and if they think Dumbledore isn't holding up his end of the bargain, they will not hesitate to leave Hogwarts immediately. And don't worry about Harry automatically forgiving Dumbledore and resuming his old reverence of the man. That won't be happening in this story. This Harry is not going to just do whatever Dumbledore tells him to do without question.
Lastly, a big thanks to gal-texter for helping me get these chapters posted again.
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