Child of Hogwarts: Part I

Chapter Thirty - Entre La Espada y La Pared

CHAPTER THIRTY

Entre La Espada y La Pared

'Albus, you cannot be serious!' Minerva snapped over tea on the morning before the end of term. The sky was a beautiful blue, the grounds outside bursting with summer bloom and warmth. It was an incongruous fit for Minerva's current mood.

'A week only, Minerva,' Albus reasoned in a placating tone. 'And I will not send him on his own. But we must renew the blood protections. If we have learned anything from this term, it is how important it is to keep Harry safe, in every way we know how. And the best defence he currently has is his mother's sacrifice... if we allow that to fade, he will lose it.'

Minerva scoffed. She could not believe that she was hearing this – from the man who had torn Harry from that horrible place himself.

'You told me nearly twelve years ago,' she said, through clenched teeth, 'That the protection would only last as long as Harry called his aunt's house home. It is quite clear that "home" for Harry is Hogwarts, not Privet Drive. So the magic is likely nullified already,' she reasoned.

Albus shook his head. 'It is not nearly so clear cut as that,' he admitted. 'That was an over-simplification on my fault, I fear. The protection will remain intact until Harry comes of age, as long as he can claim some measure of shelter with Petunia or Dudley Dursley, who share his mother's blood. He need only return once a year or so, and only for a brief period... but he must return in order to ensure the protection continues.'

Minerva felt fury as she had never experienced before. Right now, in this moment, she hated this man.

'How can you even consider such a thing, Albus?' she railed. 'Surely no manner of protection is worth the sacrifice of Harry's wellbeing, of his happiness? You witnessed his state when you brought him back to Hogwarts last summer. The man broke his cheekbone, for goodness sake! I cannot believe you would even entertain the idea of returning Harry to his arms!'

'It is necessary, Minnie,' said Albus wearily. 'It is for the –'

'For what, Albus?' she cut across him, her voice growing waspish in her indignation. 'For the Greater Good?' she guessed, watching his face arrest. She smiled in bitter satisfaction, guessing the truth from his expression. 'Haven't enough lives been lost already in pursuit of that undertaking, Albus?' she asked him pointedly.

Albus recoiled immediately, as though Minerva had struck him a fatal blow. Even in her tirade, she slightly regretted the words already. They never spoke of Ariana. Not ever. And she knew that the girl's death was Albus's greatest regret.

'Albus,' she started, in a slightly calmer tone.

'Do you think this is easy for me, Minerva?' Albus asked her, very softly. 'Do you think I rejoice in this decision... that I want to send him back to that terrible place? Do you think I want to tell Harry that he has to return? I do not.'

He sank wearily into the chair behind his desk, his head in his hands. Minerva watched him in silence, feeling only slightly less angry. She could not bring herself to go to him or offer comfort.

'I will not leave him there alone,' Albus repeated. 'And I will not leave him there long. A week, at most. That should be sufficient to ensure the protection continues for another year.'

'A week is seven days too long in that house, Albus,' said Minerva tensely. 'He will not forgive you for it. I will never forgive you for it. Even Severus will not approve.'