Dark Defense

Epilogue - 2017

Hogwarts Castle, Headmaster's Office, September 1st.

If there was one thing that brought a strange sense of comfort to Albus Dumbledore, it was that no matter how much the world changed around him, it would always be raining this time of year in the United Kingdom, especially so for Scotland.

Now while Dumbledore wasn't one to sing his own praises, unlike a certain former celebrity, as one of the most influential wizards of the Modern Age he had, in some shape or form, been present for many events that would shape the Wizarding World.

While he had initially acted through his friend Newt Scamander, in the end it had been Dumbledore who had brought an end to Gellert Grindelwald's aspirations, claiming the Death Stick from his former friend in a duel that, to this day, still gave him night-terrors.

While he failed to prevent young Tom Riddle from treading down his dark path as a teacher, as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix Dumbledore had ensured the then fledgling Voldemort and his Death Eaters hadn't run roughshod over Wizarding Britain.

While he had regrettably failed to protect the Potters and Sirius, allowing the latter to suffer for a crime he hadn't committed, he had at least ensured that young Harry was kept safe long enough to see the day everything was set right.

Indeed, despite his many, many failures when it came to the Boy Who Lived, some of which the boy would never forgive him for, Dumbledore was proud to say that Harry James Potter was his greatest success.

Of course, with that being said, it wasn't as if he could take all the credit for Harry's development. After all, setting aside the young man's own natural talents and the traits he inherited from his parents, the boy had possessed many teachers.

Indeed, you would be hard-pressed to find a single Professor at Hogwarts, current or former, who hadn't in some way influenced the Boy Who Lived, for better or worse, with Severus Snape being the only one in the latter category still living.

Of course, it should also be noted that Harry's growth had not been limited to within the halls of Hogwarts. Indeed, it could be argued that everyone he encountered had imparted some vital lesson to the Boy Who Lived.

From the Weasleys he learned the importance of family he'd long since been ignorant of. From Hermione Granger he learned the importance of planning ahead, a rare trait among Gryffindors, as well as the importance of not jumping to conclusions.

From Neville Longbottom, he learned the importance of loyalty and doing the right thing, even at cost to oneself, while Hagrid taught him the importance of never judging a book by its cover…and being mindful of what you said around others.

Of course, not all of Harry's experiences had been positive. Indeed, to this day it chafed the headmaster that, aside from the time spent under his Aunt's roof, most of the trauma Harry had endured had been within the supposedly safe walls of Hogwarts.

That being said, as much as Dumbledore would have liked to have sheltered the lad from the darker side of their world, in the end it had proven a necessary sacrifice to prepare him for what was to come…and perhaps one day he might even come to believe it.

Perhaps the most damning lesson the boy had learned was to never place your absolute faith in authority. After all, how could he completely trust those in power when almost every one of them had failed him so spectacularly?

Not even Dumbledore had escaped unscathed from this revelation. After all, setting aside his schemes to prepare the boy for his battle with Tom, it had been he who entrusted the boy to his Aunt's 'tender mercies'.

Hell, even his parents weren't truly exempt. Setting aside Severus' revelations of his father's true nature, had they simply trusted Dumbledore with the true identity of their Secret Keeper, he could have taken steps to prevent Pettigrew from selling them out.