The wizarding world was also based on manipulation. It was the main reason why Muggles distrusted it so. It frightened them that a wizard should be able to twist reality, could possess the power to turn buttons into beetles, or produce life from a flame. To a Muggle, such power was Godlike.

Albus Dumbledore stood before his desk, reminiscent of a time long ago. This time however the trinkets on his desk lay scattered in broken heaps along his desk and the surrounding stone floor. Albus' gaze swept over the broken glass taking in the damage. The colored glass gleamed under the flickering candlelight, shining into Albus' eyes and momentarily blinding him. It was not the first time that Albus was blinded, so he adjusted rather quickly as he continued to walk towards his desk. Heavily, he sat down at his desk, his robed arms falling on the remnants of his trinkets and the remnants of his plans.

For the first time in years, Albus Dumbledore felt a wave of utter hopelessness as he looked into the future. He could not help but think that he had lost Harry Potter's trust. A trust he had labored to acquire, a trust which had come at the expense of many.

For fifteen years, Albus had defended Harry Potter. He did so against the ministry and he did so every time Severus Snape came to him, complaining about the boy's arrogance. Somewhere in his mind he felt a strong pulling of guilt every time Severus' eyes flared with hatred towards a boy born out of the love share by Lily and James Potter. But the inexplicable feeling grew, clenching the old man's heart whenever Severus' tirade ended. Because invariably after the anger fled, Severus' form would collapse upon itself, tired and drawn out, as if sustained purely by spite. A small flicker of emotion would appear in those dark eyes, unrecognizable to anyone but Albus. In those moments Severus Snape regretted and Albus Dumbledore pretended not to notice.

After such encounters, Severus would halfheartedly make a parting comment about Harry's irresponsible behavior and would leave as quickly as his long gait would allow him. Each and every encounter left Albus with a profound sense of loss and guilt, one that was born from a source deeper than Albus was consciously aware of.

Albus Dumbledore shook himself from his thoughts. It was obvious to anyone who gazed at Dumbledore's office that all those years of sacrifices had been for naught.

Albus clasped his hands together in the mimicry of prayer and closed his eyes in exhaustion as one of the objects of his contemplation swept into his office.

The sound of his office door opening violently startled Dumbledore out of his silent reverie. Relieved to have his foreboding thoughts on war, and The Boy Who Lived interrupted, Albus glanced up at the scowling face of one Severus Snape.

"Severus" Albus greeted warmly his voice and mannerisms untainted by his inner turmoil. One inky black eyebrow rose as Snape's dark gaze swept over the trinkets on the Albus' desk. Snape's face remained impassive. The scowl which accompanied Albus greeting was the sole indication that Snape had heard him.

"Do come in, my dear boy." Albus gestured towards a nearby chair. The broken glass crunched noisily under Snape's feet as the man moved forward. Snape's gaze flickered at the glass before stopping and narrowing his eyes slightly. Stooping he leaned down, removing an unbroken sphere of glass from the floor. With a strange mixture of distain and care, Severus handed the only unbroken trinket to the aging wizard. The sphere dropped from Severus' tapered fingers into Albus' palm. Immediately it began to glow and Albus recognized the object for what it was, a remembral. Albus had not recognized it. The sphere had not even flickered whilst in Severus' hand. It shouldn't have surprised Albus.

"After all this time?"

"Always"

Severus Snape never forgot.

Catching on to Albus' subtle mood shift, Snape stared at the old wizard before speaking.

"You seem to have forgotten something." Snape stated, a cynical edge tainted his voice. Perplexed, Albus scrunched his eyebrows as he stared at the glowing glass forgotten within his hand. Absentmindedly Albus waved at the chair before him.

Stiffly Severus sat down opposite Albus. A vein pulsated angrily in Severus's temple and the scowl deepened as he gazed angrily at the innocent shards of glass on Albus' desk. As customary, Albus offered him lemon drops, which Severus refused. Distractedly he gazed at the remembral before placing it on his desk and focused his piercing gaze upon Severus.

The older of the two wizards remained silent as he waited for Severus to speak. For a moment, Severus merely sat there, his dark eyes gazing blankly from the desk to the bookshelf behind Albus. Uncharacteristically he said nothing as Albus smiled benignly at him, catching his wandering gaze. There were no scathing glares or comments. Snape was angry there was no doubt, but he also seemed oddly broken. Sighing inaudibly Snape agitatedly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Headmaster" the deep voice resonated through the stillness of the room.

"There's no need for such formality." Albus responded jovially. Snape waved off the statement as he focused on the issue at hand.

"When she..." there was a moment of uncharacteristic hesitation in his silky voice as he sought an appropriate word, perhaps a less painful one. Finding none, he continued.

"Was there any indication that she wished to bestow something to me? A letter? An object?" he asked as he looked out of the headmaster's tower window, avoiding Dumbledore's penetrating gaze. Dumbledore didn't need to ask of whom Severus spoke. There was only one woman that Severus had ever asked after and even that had been rare. Severus' pride had always taken precedence where it shouldn't have.

There was a faint rustled of memory then, Albus' eyes clouded over with half remembered memories. Severus shifted in his chair and the sound of his rustling robes brought Albus back from his thoughts.

Softly shaking his head, Albus asked "You wish to know whether Lily Potter bequeathed anything to you?" he reiterated.

Dark eyes closed off upon the pronouncement of Lily's surname, his entire face empty as if chiseled from unfeeling stone. Severus nodded curtly as he dared to glance at the headmaster. Their eyes met as Dumbledore regarded Severus over half moon glasses.

"Why do you ask, Severus?" Dumbledore paused but continued. "Why now, after fifteen years have passed?"

"Then there was nothing." Severus concluded as he stood up so quickly that he almost upset the chair. He inclined his head, hiding his face behind a curtain of greasy hair. The move was calculated and Dumbledore recognized it for what it was.

"Severus." The headmaster admonished, his voice kind. A few heartbeats passed before reluctantly Snape sat down and openly glared at the headmaster. It was on his tongue, the question posed, why did Severus believe that Lily Potter would leave him any sort of keepsake. But something stopped Albus. There in the back of his thoughts was that familiar prickle of having forgotten something. He watched Severus in hopes of triggering the memory that he was obviously forgetting.

Severus seemed to change under Dumbledore's scrutiny. Instead of the hard man that Albus had known for years, Albus suddenly saw the boy that he had failed. In his mind's eye, he beheld a young Severus looking at him with sad petulance, an undercurrent of betrayal flashing in his eyes. In that moment Albus' obliviate began to unravel.

Albus gasped as a series of disjointed memories flashed before his eyes. His bony hand rose to his chest as he clutched his robe, the image of Severus had long faded, replaced by another young boy. His vision tunneled and he grasped the edge of the desk before him as he saw the tear stained emerald eyes of the one person Severus Snape had loved. When the memories ended, Albus finally understood exactly what Severus was asking.

"Headmaster..."

"Headmaster..." the deep voice urged as he clutched the older man's shoulder. Albus looked down into the concerned eyes of the crouched form of Severus. Blue clouded eyes focused on Onyx, and could barely hold the gaze.

"Severus." He croaked, the broken memories haunting him as they flashed briefly thru his mind, the full consequences of his actions crashing upon him like the waves of a tempestuous sea.

There was a moment where a brief flicker of confusion passed through Severus' eyes before Dumbledore continued in a hollow voice.

"My boy, I am so sorry."

Severus Snape averted his face, gazing away for a long stretch of time. Albus gazed at his profile the candlelight shining on Severus' eyes and across his face. The black eyes glimmered as they caught the dim light.

Slowly Severus turned towards the headmaster, his face blank, the glimmer and reflection gone from his eyes. The cold dark eyes focused on Albus. Albus Dumbledore looked away.

"Are you well?" the silky voice intoned clinically. Albus nodded, not trusting his voice to betray him. After assuring himself that Albus was alright, Severus left the room. The sound of Potion Master's steps grew softer as he walked away. The hollow sound of the heavy door closing resounded through Dumbledore's office. Standing up, Albus glanced at the bookshelf behind his desk, the same bookshelf which had hidden his deception for many long years.

The memories flashed intermitted through his thoughts as Dumbledore reached behind a stack of dusty books. He held the small brown box reverently as a soft voice of the past echoed thru his memories.

"Please give this to Harry. It's his by right." A soft feminine voice called out. Soft red hair fell into emerald green eyes as the woman looked up at Dumbledore. She removed the chain from her neck looking at the small ring that dangled from it for one last time before relinquishing it forever to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore opened the box slowly as he looked at the ring within it pensively. Blue all seeing eyes closed in a grimace, as he remembered.

~*~*~*

The next morning Harry was surprised to receive a nondescript brown owl bearing a small jewelry box.

~*~*~*

It seemed Albus Dumbledore had one last gambit to play.