Hogwarts Express: Time Travel

LXXXVII. Goodbye

LXXXVII. Goodbye

Dumbledore: It is my fault Sirius died tonight.... I have kept things from you, Annie. Things that I should have not concealed. You had the right to know, but I put off telling you.... [Dumbledore sighs sadly, looking very old] Had I told you that Voldemort might try to lure you down to the department of mysteries, you would never have gone there tonight. And Sirius would have never gone after you.... The fault lies with me. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day [She refuses to look at him, finding the window to be more interesting and worthy of her attention] Annie, I owe you this explanation to show you the failings of an old man

This time Annie does turn to watch him, forest green narrowed at blue, but she gives him a small nod

Rabastan couldn't help but chuckle at the scene playing. Dumbledore practically begging a student to listen to him. He looks ready to cry

Annie frowned as she pondered over his words. Dumbledore was a great many things, but a failure he was not. She understood that he did everything he thought was right. He was only trying to defeat Voldemort as well as protect her and the other students

She admired the man ever since her first year at Hogwarts, nothing would change that.

Dumbledore: My explanation begins with your scar. You already know that it is a connection between you and Voldemort, and that this connection goes both ways... I grew worried that Voldemort would at some point discover this connection, which he did the night Mr. Weasley was attacked

Annie: [Frowning irritated] I already know all this!

"Pads?"

"Yes Prongs?"

"Do you reckon we'd have detentions if we shouted at professor Dumbledore?"

"Well, tough question, even tougher to answer, quite tricky, he might actually let it go" nodded Sirius still unsure of his own response

"But then professor McGonagall would give the longest detention ever" offered an amused Remus

"So true"

Dumbledore: Haven't you wondered why I haven't spoken to you, even looked at you for months?

Annie: [Stammering, taken off guard with the question] Well... yea-yeah I did.

Dumbledore: I was worried that if Voldemort discovered there was a closer relationship between us than simply teacher and student, he would use you to spy on the order. Another mistake.... Voldemort showed us both tonight that his aim in possessing you would not be to destroy me, but to destroy you

Evan gagged at the old bat's words "You do not have a closer relationship than simply teacher and students? Don't you? Please tell me you don't?"

"What?" the girl frowned confused, then realization of his words hits her like a tidal wave and her eyes grow round at the implication "Are you mad? Of course not!!"

"I think he made it rather clear who his target was" sighed Slughorn, watching the screen with calculating eyes.

Annie's green eyes widen before she looks down at her shoes frowning

Dumbledore: Sirius told me you believed there was a snake inside of you. This was Voldemort attempting to manipulate you. So to protect you from this, I had you study Occlumency

Annie: [Muttering, anger evident in her voice] Yeah but Snape stopped giving me lessons

Dumbledore: Yes, I thought he could overcome his feelings towards your dad but I was wrong. Some wounds cut too deep to be healed