Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter, Prisoner of Hogwarts
DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.
I would like to thank captuniv for beta-reading this chapter.
Chapter 6: A Headmaster's Private Musings
There were few times when the great and wise Albus Dumbledore had felt this weary before.
He had never wanted to send Harry to Azkaban, but at the time, he felt as though he had no choice.
It was an honest mistake, even if in the worst possible sense of the word "mistake."
Dumbledore was initially on Harry's side, and had gone out of his way to see if Harry could have been innocent. However, all the evidence pointed to Harry as the culprit, and so it was with a heavy heart that he resigned himself to thinking that maybe Harry had finally reached his breaking point, especially after the events of his disastrous fifth year.
After Harry had been arrested, a whole cache of Dark Arts books had been found in his trunk, some restricted, and some illegal. Among them was a notebook, in which Harry not only tried to come up with new Dark spells and the like, but also ranted about everything gone wrong in his life - or so it seemed.
The best and most modern forensic spells had been done on the books. Not only did it resemble Harry's hand-writing exactly, but the spells said it was him that did it.
Now that Harry had been proven innocent, just how the forensic spells could claim otherwise was in question. Magic was not a precise science, and like Muggle science, it was not perfect, and there was always something new to learn and discover about it.
While the magical justice system didn't require much to arrest or convict a person, compared to the Muggle justice system (a serious flaw, as Dumbledore knew), there was a motive, opportunity, and evidence.
However, even Dumbledore was taken aback by just how nasty and bloodthirsty Harry's friends had been. Dumbledore himself did not revel in such things; even when Voldemort had gotten what was finally coming to him, he did not rejoice in that either.
Even Dumbledore was not perfect, although from time to time, events like these made him wish he was. At least then he could try to avoid these things from happening.
Dumbledore wanted - needed - Harry to see that it was an honest mistake, even if in the worst possible sense of the word. Harry did not deserve to have the rest of his life ruined or affected by this.
While Dumbledore wouldn't mind Harry's forgiveness, he was more concerned about Harry's well-being first. He knew better than to put personal agendas in front of more important ones.
He felt bad about having to Stun Harry in the courtroom, but he truly was out-of-control by that point. Harry's accusation that some new law had been written or some old law had been rewritten just for the sake of trying to bring him back turned out to be incorrect; the law about students with "previously disrupted educations" had been in place for decades, at the very least.
Dumbledore heaved an exhausted sigh. Sensing his unease, Fawkes whistled a soft, coaxing tune and fluttered over to his desk, allowing the headmaster to stroke his brilliant plumage.
"I just don't know anymore, Fawkes," he confided in his phoenix friend. "I didn't want a repeat of Tom Riddle. But I looked into everything and anything I could to see if Harry was innocent. I didn't want to repeat an old mistake, but I didn't want to make a brand new mistake, either. And in the end, I did just that."
Fawkes whistled some more sympathetic notes to sooth Dumbledore's nerves.
"I hope you're right about Harry coming around in time, old friend..."
(End of Chapter 6.)
A/N: I wonder how this did, as sort of an introspective chapter.
Next chapter is the first day back at school... -Quillian
I would like to thank captuniv for beta-reading this chapter.
Chapter 6: A Headmaster's Private Musings
There were few times when the great and wise Albus Dumbledore had felt this weary before.
He had never wanted to send Harry to Azkaban, but at the time, he felt as though he had no choice.
It was an honest mistake, even if in the worst possible sense of the word "mistake."
Dumbledore was initially on Harry's side, and had gone out of his way to see if Harry could have been innocent. However, all the evidence pointed to Harry as the culprit, and so it was with a heavy heart that he resigned himself to thinking that maybe Harry had finally reached his breaking point, especially after the events of his disastrous fifth year.
After Harry had been arrested, a whole cache of Dark Arts books had been found in his trunk, some restricted, and some illegal. Among them was a notebook, in which Harry not only tried to come up with new Dark spells and the like, but also ranted about everything gone wrong in his life - or so it seemed.
The best and most modern forensic spells had been done on the books. Not only did it resemble Harry's hand-writing exactly, but the spells said it was him that did it.
Now that Harry had been proven innocent, just how the forensic spells could claim otherwise was in question. Magic was not a precise science, and like Muggle science, it was not perfect, and there was always something new to learn and discover about it.
While the magical justice system didn't require much to arrest or convict a person, compared to the Muggle justice system (a serious flaw, as Dumbledore knew), there was a motive, opportunity, and evidence.
However, even Dumbledore was taken aback by just how nasty and bloodthirsty Harry's friends had been. Dumbledore himself did not revel in such things; even when Voldemort had gotten what was finally coming to him, he did not rejoice in that either.
Even Dumbledore was not perfect, although from time to time, events like these made him wish he was. At least then he could try to avoid these things from happening.
Dumbledore wanted - needed - Harry to see that it was an honest mistake, even if in the worst possible sense of the word. Harry did not deserve to have the rest of his life ruined or affected by this.
While Dumbledore wouldn't mind Harry's forgiveness, he was more concerned about Harry's well-being first. He knew better than to put personal agendas in front of more important ones.
He felt bad about having to Stun Harry in the courtroom, but he truly was out-of-control by that point. Harry's accusation that some new law had been written or some old law had been rewritten just for the sake of trying to bring him back turned out to be incorrect; the law about students with "previously disrupted educations" had been in place for decades, at the very least.
Dumbledore heaved an exhausted sigh. Sensing his unease, Fawkes whistled a soft, coaxing tune and fluttered over to his desk, allowing the headmaster to stroke his brilliant plumage.
"I just don't know anymore, Fawkes," he confided in his phoenix friend. "I didn't want a repeat of Tom Riddle. But I looked into everything and anything I could to see if Harry was innocent. I didn't want to repeat an old mistake, but I didn't want to make a brand new mistake, either. And in the end, I did just that."
Fawkes whistled some more sympathetic notes to sooth Dumbledore's nerves.
"I hope you're right about Harry coming around in time, old friend..."
(End of Chapter 6.)
A/N: I wonder how this did, as sort of an introspective chapter.
Next chapter is the first day back at school... -Quillian
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