Harry Potter and Future's Past

Discussions with Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters that appear in the Harry Potter books.

Chapter 16

June 19th 1996 Continued

Dumbledore sat behind his large desk and simply stared at the two teens in front of him. It was a blue-eyed grandfatherly gaze over his half-moon glasses that usually had students ready to confess any and all sins to him after only a short time, but Harry Potter only stared back at him. Green eyes stared into blue, both waiting for the other to flinch. Finally Dumbledore reached out his hand and took a lemon drop from the glass dish on his desk. The stay fresh charm on the dish had kept them from going stale since April when he'd been forced to flee his office. He offered the bowl to both Harry and Hermione who just shook their heads declining the offer. Albus popped the lemony sweet into his mouth and moved it around with his tongue several times before finally speaking. "I'm very disappointed in you Harry," He said. "To take something that belongs to me and give it to the Ministry was inexcusable."

"I did what you should have done two years ago sir," Harry replied testily. "I found it most interesting that the Ministry did not know about your Pensieve."

"Who knows about my personal property is none of your concern Mr. Potter," Dumbledore stated.

"SIRIUS COULD HAVE BEEN FREE TWO YEARS AGO HEADMASTER!" Harry was on his feet now glaring at Albus Dumbledore. "You could have proven that I wasn't lying about Voldemort last year. WHY DIDN'T YOU?" Harry's anger was genuine now. "I spent a year being ridiculed and tortured," Harry turned his hand around to show the outline of the words made by the Blood Quill.

"I did what I could for you," Dumbledore replied. "There are just things that you do not understand."

Harry sat heavily back down on his chair and simply said. "Enlighten me then. Tell me what I don't understand. Make me understand why my godfather has had the threat of a Dementor's kiss over his head? With the Pensieve you could have taken my memories of Voldemort and Pettigrew to the Ministry and the Wizengamot or to the press like I just did and it would have been easy to convince them."

Dumbledore's gaze never left the young man's face as he sat back in his large chair as he tried to figure out a way to answer those questions. Of course he knew that the Pensieve was critical in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Even now he thought he had a lead on where one of them was located but needed to view Bob Ogden's memories again to make sure. Finally he decided on his favorite answer. "Harry, you're just going to have to trust me that I know what is best. As I said, there are things you do not understand and I'm not at liberty to discuss with you."

"Then we have nothing left to discuss Headmaster," Harry replied and got up from his seat. He took Hermione's hand and started for the door. "I'll speak to Professor McGonagall about our school records," Right before they made it to the door they heard a click. When he tried to open it, it would not open. He had been expecting exactly that to happen. He knew Dumbledore could not afford for Harry to leave the office and contact Sirius.

"You will both come back and sit down," Dumbledore commanded. "I am the Headmaster of this school and I will not be spoken to like that by two of my students."

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his mirror. "Sirius Black," he requested and almost immediately his godfather was there.

"Sirius, it seems Dumbledore has locked us in his office and is refusing to let us leave, even after we've made it clear that we'd like to withdraw from Hogwarts."

"I'll let Amelia and the Minister know," Sirius replied. He then spoke louder to make sure Dumbledore could hear him. "Albus, I'm not sure what you are doing, but understand that if you harm a single hair on either my godson or Hermione's head, I will personally ensure you spend a long time in my old cell; that includes memory charms."