To Defeat a Dark Lord.

Disclaimer. This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to Periculum for her beta work….

I know this chapter took forever to write….and its short… I’m sorry, but at least it’s something, rather than nothing. I’ll try not to let the wait go for this long again…

Chapter Thirteen

Albus sat in his office, once again contemplating the issues surrounding two of his favorite people, with his mind going around in circles as he tried to understand just when his intentions regarding Harry Potter had gone so wrong. A Pensieve stood on his desk, holding copies of his every interaction with the young man, most specifically the ones that dealt with the conversations about Harry’s relationship with the Dursleys, and the one of the day Harry had finally had enough and had shown him the results from living under their care. One thing that he now knew for sure was that Harry had tried to tell him numerous times about the Dursleys; Albus had simply never listened, chalking it up to normal problems that teenagers had with their parents and guardians.

The words he had uttered when faced with the angry teen the day Harry had woken up, kept replaying in his mind, making him wince from the unusual harshness, especially after all of Harry’s injuries had been presented to him by Madam Pomfrey. Up until that point, he had not truly believed that the Dursleys hated Harry as much as was claimed, and he realized he should have taken the time to sit down and actually discuss with Harry the problems he professed to have with his family, that later had been proven to be true, on more than one occasion. He also knew that he should have done more to insure Harry's and the other students’ safety, as well as offer Sanctuary to those most in need and in regard to Harry and his friends, the training that they so desperately needed to combat the growing threat of Voldemort.

During the time Harry had once again been in the care of Madam Pomfrey, he had had a few discussions with young Draco Malfoy, and although he still wasn't sure just how far he could trust the Malfoy family, he knew that he needed to show the other Houses, and most especially Slytherin House, that they could come to him or any other professor with concerns about the war and their safety. He also needed to show them all Respect. Without it, nothing was going to change, not even after the war was won, one way or another.

A small smile graced his face when he thought of the fact that Harry, Ron and Hermione had already started to close the breach and join all the Houses together in unity with young Draco, and that Harry had truly found someone to count on in Severus Snape.

Vowing to himself to do whatever needed to be done to fix the damage he himself had caused, Albus started making a list of things he needed to do to bring all the Houses closer together: His first step in redeeming himself.

The flare of his Floo a few hours later had him looking up to see the face of Arthur Weasley in the fire, and he felt his insides go cold in dread.

“Albus, we need you here at the Burrow. Harry's had a vision and he is asking for you.”

“How bad, Arthur?” Albus asked, immediately standing and summoning his traveling cloak to him.

“It's bad, Albus. He witnessed at least two people die by the Killing Curse cast by You-Know-Who himself.”

Motioning the other man to step back, Albus spoke with just a hint of command in his voice. “Please step back Arthur, so I can inform Minerva that I'm leaving and then I'll be right through.” Writing a quick note to his deputy, and sending it off with Fawkes, Albus took a deep breath before heading for the Floo, silently acknowledging to himself that whatever it was Harry had seen must have been horrific enough that despite their past few encounters, the younger man still had to call him.

The scene that he walked into was curious indeed. Arthur, Lucius, Gideon and Damean stood in one corner in deep discussion. Hermione sat on the sofa curled up against Charlie with Draco and Ron right behind them. Bill and the twins he could clearly hear in the kitchen and Molly and Narcissa, much to his surprise, sat off in another corner discussing something with Ginny.

All of them, however, kept a careful watch on the pair sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. Much to Albus' surprise, Harry sat curled up on Severus' lap, practically hidden from view by the older wizard’s robes, the occasional muffled sob giving silent testament to his suffering.

Not sure what to expect from the young man, Albus made his way over to the pair and lowered himself to sit next to them on the floor. “Harry?” He questioned softly.

Harry stilled completely before removing himself from Severus' arms and throwing himself into the welcoming embrace of the older wizard. His tears, which had almost stopped, renewed in the warmth of the older man.

Severus watched with a grim satisfaction, knowing that whatever tragedy had just happened, it was the catalyst needed to start the healing between Albus and Harry. Accepting the cup of tea handed to him by one of the twins; he sat back and waited for Harry to relate what he had just witnessed.

When Albus had judged that Harry was ready to once more calm down, he gently maneuvered the young man so he wasn't hidden from sight of the rest of the group by his own robes. “Harry, my boy, tell me what happened.”

Giving a slightly bitter laugh that could have also been called a sob, Harry, needing the warmth of Severus' arms, struggled to sit up and away from the headmaster, and settled down between Severus' outstretched legs, stealing the cup of tea from the older man. “Voldemort in his ~infinite~ kindness, decided that he needed to give me a rather large birthday present to make up from all the ones he missed until now.” Taking a sip of the bitter tea, and soaking up the comfort offered by Severus, he remained silent for a few minutes until, with a little prodding by Draco via their link, he continued in a strangled whisper. “He, along with Bellatrix, went to Privet Drive, where they tortured and killed my aunt and uncle.”