The Life He Deserved

Chapter 31

Dumbledore, Hero or Villain?

Albus Dumbledore, an old man we idolize for his defeat of the dark lord Grindelwald. But what if this is just a fairy's tale? What if he isn't as great as we think he is? I, Rita Skeeter have searched and found the truth.

Harry bit back a smirk at the pale face with hundreds of eyes on him. Skeeter certainly did good. It surely was satisfying when not on the receiving end. Pictures of the two former friends holding hands certainly didn't help his case. Nor the photos Ariana's grave. The staff radiated tension, many not so discreetly glaring, and the students whispered with a hint of unbelief, skepticism, and fear. It wasn't every day you find out your headmaster is an evil mastermind who created Voldemort himself and dated the previous dark lord.

"Oh, this is too good!" Draco laughed as he read the article and dropped it on the table. Harry had already given him a heads-up of course. "Lovers? That's going to be a hit on his image." Harry hummed and sipped on his pumpkin juice.

"Hold on, this pardon my language, bullshit was your doing?" Daphne muttered as she skimmed the paper. "It's obvious no one will believe it!" Her tone sounded exasperated as she set it down.

"Considering it's true with evidence, I doubt it." Theo choked and turned to him, tearing his eyes off the paper.

"Wait it's true? Like, all of it?" Harry nodded in amusement.

"Dumbledore was very much lovers with Grindelwald in his youth but betrayed him to save his own back and gain power," he said with disdain that would do Lucius proud. "However, he didn't have the heart to kill him, so left him to be locked up instead." Which was good for them, after all it wasn't every day you could get the point of view from the villain of the story. Grindewald describing his pain and betrayal? Oh, that would be unfixable.

While the murmurs of his friends continued, he sought his chance to get a better glance at the old coot. The sight would be given to Tom in a pensive as a gift.

Dumbledore held the paper with trembling fingers. His heart thrummed rapidly as his eyes frantically moved side to side at the judgmental faces. How did they find out? Who told them? He felt his throat clog at the sight of his ex-lover. Gellert. He did the right thing, didn't he? He closed his eyes tightly before calmly as possible standing up. The murmuring increased in volume, stares of horrified students following his every move. Not able to bare the feeling anymore, he apparated. He would certainly need time to think.

~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~

Harry walked with his usual poise as Draco trailed behind him. Was he looking forward to the incoming conversation? Not really. But for Draco's sake, for his own sake, he would go through with it. He raised an eyebrow when a door appeared without him pacing. He hadn't explained to the twins how to enter the ROR. Feeling an odd caution, he placed a shield wordlessly over Draco and himself before entering. To say the sight was chaotic would be an understatement.

A FEW MINUTES PRIOR

The mischievous pair were bored. They went to the odd location of Harry's quite a bit earlier, hoping to set off some massive prank on them. It bothered them to no end that Harry was untouchable by all their products and schemes they sent his way.

"Gred, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I am Forge," he responded with a smirk. The two didn't just happen to find the password to the Marauder's map after all; they had worked it out.

Harry blinked before pinching the bridge of his nose, Draco gaping beside him as fireworks whizzed passed him. The room was a mess, looking similar to a muggle's mad scientist lab. Liquids that had who knows what were splattered on every inch of this place. Ingredients were spread across the tables with powders clumping in the oozing mess. Small fires seemed to be forming but the room prevented them from growing, burn marks and debris indicated explosions. The room smelled atrocious, as if somewhat stirred all the worst stenches and released it into the room. He stared down at his shoes with distaste as he noticed the sticky substance that kept his shoes to the ground.