Dumbledore sighed and continued, “I’m afraid the only place safe enough for you all at the moment is here at Hogwarts.”

“NO!” shouted Uncle Vernon.

Aunt Petunia shrieked, “I will not stay anywhere near these three thugs!” She waved her bony arm to indicate Snape and the twins. Snape glared at her and crossed his arms, while George smiled and mouthed the word “thugs?” to Fred. They both seemed to take it as a huge compliment. Pointing to Snape, Aunt Petunia continued, “You know what horrible things he is capable of! I won’t allow my family to stay here with such repulsive people. She waved her arm towards the twins, “My Diddy was already cursed by these two and that giant of a man! I won’t allow that to happen again!”

Harry watched as Dudley paled and abruptly checked his bottom. Harry remembered the pig’s tail and figured he must be checking for signs of magical tampering. Harry saw Snape smirk at the sight as Harry covered his own laugh with a cough and the Weasleys laughed, not bothering to hide their amusement.

For the first time, Snape addressed Aunt Petunia, “If you think what we do is bad, it is nothing compared to what the Dark Lord will do if he finds your family.”

“I am fully aware of what he’ll do! Don’t think I didn’t hear the stories!” she responded.

Snape’s face darkened, “If you truly care about your family’s safety, then I suggest you do as you’re told.”

Aunt Petunia was livid. “I don’t think you should be telling me what the right thing to do is, Severus, especially after what you’ve done…”

She was cut off as Dumbledore cleared his throat. Snape was angrier than Harry had ever seen him. His aunt was breathing heavily and the twins had conjured some sweets and were eating some Sugar Quills as they sat and watched the show. Harry was in stunned. She had just called Snape ‘Severus’! ‘How did she know his name?’ Harry wondered. Uncle Vernon and Dudley were looking at Aunt Petunia in shock and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she realized she had just admitted knowledge of the wizarding world.

Harry’s curiosity got the best of him as he spoke up, “How do you know each other?”

His question was ignored as Uncle Vernon turned to Dumbledore and said stubbornly, “Look what you’ve done to my wife!”

The Headmaster calmly replied, “I have your family’s best interest at heart, Mr. Dursley. It is unfortunate that you cannot return home today, but you will be back there in no more than one month’s time, if not sooner. Plus, Mr. Dursley, you will be fully compensated for your trouble.

Uncle Vernon’s anger miraculously fled at the sound of money. “Compensation?” he asked, in an artificially polite voice.

“Of course,” replied Dumbledore. “I’m sure we can come up with a mutually acceptable amount tomorrow, that is, if you agree to reside in the castle until your home is repaired.”

Aunt Petunia seemed to calm at the thought of money and even Dudley seemed excited. Harry was imagining that at that moment, visions of new computer games were flashing through Dudley’s miniscule mind.

Uncle Vernon turned to his wife, “Well, Pet, this does sound like the only way. I wouldn’t want to see Marge get hurt if we want to stay with her.”

“Okay,” said Petunia, nodding in agreement.

Vernon turned to Dumbledore and replied, “Okay, we’ll stay.” The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled as though he was pleased with his negotiation skills. “However,” Vernon continued, “I have two conditions.”

Professor Dumbledore replied, “As long as they are reasonable, Mr. Dursley, I will do my best.”

“I want these freaks,” Vernon stated, indicating Fred, George, and Snape, “to stay away from my family.” Dumbledore nodded, “You have my word, right gentlemen?”

Harry watched as Fred and George nodded, although looking thoroughly depressed; and Snape replied, “Of course, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore immediately pulled out his wand and conjured his Patronus. The Dursleys all jumped in shock as a sparkling white phoenix appeared from the tip of his wand. He stared at it in silent conversation and the bird flew off through the office door. “What was your other request, Mr. Dursley?”

Uncle Vernon’s anger sparked as he turned to Harry. “I don’t want the boy staying anywhere near us. Since he’s returned, he’s already woken us all up at odd hours of the night with his screaming and I’m TIRED of it!”

Everyone in the room turned to Harry, who wanted nothing more than to disappear beneath his invisibility cloak. He could feel that his face was red from embarrassment and he stared down at his slippers, not wanting to see the twins’ sympathetic faces nor Snape’s piercing stare. Harry couldn’t bring himself to look Dumbledore in the eye either.

The Headmaster’s face turned grim as he looked at Harry. “Mr. Dursley, Harry has his own room here at Hogwarts. You will be several floors apart and will likely only catch glimpses of each other during meal times.”

The Dursleys seemed to approve, so Dumbledore gestured to the Weasleys. “Gentlemen, thank you both for your help tonight. If you both would kindly inform your family of the meeting, I would appreciate it.” The twins nodded to the Headmaster and said goodbye to Harry before each grabbing a handful of floo powder and returning to the Burrow.

As the green flame swept the twins away, there was a knock on the Headmaster’s door. “Come in, Minerva,” he replied.

“You called for me, Albus?” asked Minerva as she noticed the Dursleys and glared at the three of them. She saw Harry and asked, “How are you, Mr. Potter?”

“I’m fine, Professor,” Harry responded. Minerva nodded and turned back to Dumbledore. “Minerva, if you could please escort the Dursleys to their new quarters off of the Great Hall. Kindly explain to them about mealtimes,” he remarked, leaving Harry to wonder why he felt the need to emphasize the word kindly.

Professor McGonagall nodded, “Very well, Albus.” Turning to the Dursleys, “If you would all follow me.” As the four of them left, Harry could hear McGonagall say, “…room will be off of the Great Hall, where you will eat…”

Finally, with just Harry and Snape left in his office, turned to the Potions Master. “Severus, please get me a Dreamless Sleep potion and come back up here with it.” Severus nodded, glancing at Harry and leaving the office.

“Harry, please have a seat,” said Dumbledore as he sat behind his desk and conjured tea for two. As Harry took his seat, Dumbledore sighed. He looked across to Harry, who noticed that the Headmaster looked older than he’d ever seen him. ‘At least he’s looking me in the eyes now,’ Harry thought, as he waited for the Headmaster to speak.

The Professor cleared his throat and said, “Harry, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for my actions.”

Harry was surprised. He expected to be rebuked for his earlier fight with Snape. “Sir?” Harry replied questioningly.

He took off his glasses, rubbed his tired eyes, and replaced his spectacles. “I did not realize the extent to which Petunia’s jealousy would affect you.”

Curious, Harry asked, “Why would she be jealous?”

“I suppose I should explain it to you so you understand my decision to have you placed in her care,” Dumbledore replied.

Harry was confused. “Sir? I thought we were talking about my aunt?”

“Yes, well, you see, Harry, when Petunia and your mother were young, they enjoyed, like all children, playing with other children their own age. However, there was only one other child close to their age that lived nearby. This young boy kept to himself and refused to play with your mother and her sister, preferring to watch from the sidelines while he read. For nearly an entire summer they saw the boy at the playground and encouraged him to play with them, only to receive glares in response. The boy was very shy and hated being different. He believed that if he played with the two girls, they would discover that he was different and pick on him. At least from a distance he could pretend that they all were friends.”

“Then one day Lily and Petunia were playing tag. As Lily chased her sister, Petunia tripped over one of her loose shoelaces and fell, cutting her arm. Petunia was upset and in pain and Lily was crying and terrified that she would get in trouble for playing too roughly. The quiet, lonely boy was there that day and saw the blood. He got up from his book and went over to the girls to see what he could do to help.”

Dumbledore paused to take a sip of tea. “As he approached, he saw the cut on Petunia’s arm. He glanced over to Lily and saw that she too was staring at the cut. As he watched Lily and Petunia, he saw that the cut was slowly getting smaller. Within a few seconds, he couldn’t see the gash anymore, nor could he see a scar. Petunia was still crying in shock, but Lily was looking at Petunia’s arm in amazement. The boy, however, was now intensely interested in Lily. He knew she was different just like he was. He knew he was a wizard, but grew up with a very stern father. His father was a muggle and forbade him to associate with other magical children, but now he had found someone he could relate to.”

“The boy used a handkerchief to clean off the blood from Petunia’s arm and both young girls stared at him, surprised that the odd boy was helping them and acting as though a disappearing wound was normal. From that day on, the boy and the two girls were inseparable. He had explained magic to the girls and told them everything he knew about the wizarding world.”

Harry was too interested in hearing about his mother to interrupt and hung on the Headmaster’s every word. “When Lily and the boy turned eleven, they both received letters to attend Hogwarts. Petunia was devastated that she could not attend the wizarding school as well. She wrote me a letter and begged me to allow her to come along.” Dumbledore paused and chuckled, “She even told me she could come and work in the kitchens or help clean in exchange for being able to go to classes.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile and laugh. He pictured a young, horse necked girl washing dishes in a sink as the house elves bounced around her feet. That was something Harry wished he could see.

“Anyway,” Dumbledore continued, “Petunia was indeed a muggle with no magical talents and I could not allow such a child to come to Hogwarts. I wrote her a letter in response and checked up on Petunia occasionally over the next few years to see how she was doing. She grew more and more envious of Lily as each year went by. She heard about the fantastic stories and wished that she could be the one returning home with adventurous tales of ghosts and giant squids.”

“Meanwhile, the boy from the playground and your mother became inseparable. They often studied together in the library and it crossed my mind occasionally if one day they would become sweethearts.”

Harry perked up at the thought of this young boy’s identity and asked, “Was he my father?”

He chuckled, “No, the boy was not James Potter.”

Harry was confused and wanted to ask more, but Dumbledore continued with the story. “The friendship, I believe, did not survive beyond Hogwarts. The young man was not treated well by his fellow classmates. After one incident, your mother attempted to stand up for him and in his embarrassment the boy called her a foul name. Lily was devastated that her friend attacked her muggle heritage and wrote home to Petunia. From what I saw, Petunia was very sensitive about being a muggle and believed that the boy was insulting her as well.”

Harry interrupted the Headmaster’s explanation once more. “Please, sir, if the boy wasn’t my father, can’t you tell me who he is?” Harry was eager for anything he could learn about his parents. He knew that this boy would know lots about his mother and knew that he might be able to give him the information that he craved.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you his name,” Dumbledore replied. Harry tried to protest, but before he could, the Headmaster continued, “One of the conditions of my viewing the memories was that I was never to reveal his identity. I’m sorry, Harry, but as much as I’d like to, I simply cannot betray the trust of this young man.”

Harry replied, “I understand,” but he was determined to find out who he was, even if that meant investigating on his own.

Dumbledore continued, “As I was saying, both Petunia and Lily were hurt by the boy’s impulsive insult and the friendship between the three of them came to an end. I think that the loss of the friendship caused Petunia to feel even more rejected.”

“See, Harry, I had believed that Petunia had found love in Vernon.” Harry choked on his tea, amazed that anyone would truly love his uncle. Dumbledore vanished the spilt tea off of his desk and continued, “I thought that she would have realized that she didn’t need magic to be happy and that she had abandoned most of her childhood jealousy against Lily. I believed that in her happiness with her new family, Petunia would no longer feel rejected or resent her sister and that she would treat Lily’s son as her own. I’m afraid I was wrong.”

“I am truly sorry, Harry. Had I known that your presence in the Dursley’s home would bring back Petunia’s feelings of ineptness and resentment, I would not have left you with them.”

“What about the blood wards,” Harry asked.

“The wards did give you extra protection, but if I made the effort, I could have provided you with a loving family. I could have protected you with magical means and I could have given you a happy childhood,” Dumbledore responded. Harry thought about how horrible it was to live with the Dursleys and grew angry with Dumbledore. He opened his mouth to yell at the Headmaster, but was shocked into silence by seeing a tear trickle down Dumbledore’s face and into his beard.

“I have made so many mistakes with you, Harry. I have withheld so much from you and I want you to know that that will stop. You know about the prophecy, but there is more to the story that I have not told you about.”

Harry got a bad feeling in his stomach at the idea the thought and asked, “There isn’t another prophecy, is there?”

Dumbledore replied, “No, Harry. I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that. As you know, Voldemort is obsessed with immortality. While he was at school here, Tom began researching a very ancient and dark form of magic that allows a person to get closer to everlasting life. Every time a person kills another, a part of their soul is torn, for murder will slowly damage a person’s core until they are left broken. Tom discovered that he could use this knowledge to create horcruxes in which the torn pieces of one’s soul can be stored in important objects. As long as the object and in turn the soul piece is not destroyed, that person will continue to exist even if the body is damaged or destroyed.”

Harry paled as Dumbledore told him about horcruxes. “So,” he replied, “Voldemort created one of these horcruxes and that is how he was able to return in the graveyard?”

“Yes, Harry, that is part of it. I’m afraid that Tom Riddle took his knowledge of horcruxes to the extreme. I believe he did not create one horcrux but seven.”

Dumbledore paused here as Harry shouted, “Seven! How am I supposed to defeat someone who can just keep coming back?” Harry was breathing heavily and was trying his best to control his fear and his anger.

“Harry, you can defeat him because you are not alone,” Dumbledore retorted fiercely. Harry saw Dumbledore reach his hand towards him, as though wanting to comfort him, but Dumbledore must have decided against it and instead laid his wrinkled hand on the desk. “We will find and destroy the horcruxes together and I will do everything in my power to help you survive this war. I promise you that I will not fail you again! All I can ask from you is that I sincerely hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day.”

Harry was torn between resentment and compassion. He knew that the Headmaster was remorseful, but couldn’t help think about how Dumbledore’s secrecy contributed to Sirius’s death. If Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy and horcruxes sooner, he wouldn’t have rushed to the ministry to rescue Sirius. Harry did blame himself; there was no doubt about that. Between the frequent visions from Voldemort that plagued his sleep, Harry saw Sirius in his nightmares, staring back at him with the same stunned expression he had on his face the night he fell through the veil. And now he had seven bits of Voldemort’s evil soul to battle!

Before Harry could respond to Dumbledore’s comments, there was a knock at the door and the third person whose image haunted his sleep entered the office.

“The potion, Headmaster,” Snape replied as he handed over a small glass vial of Dreamless Sleep potion. Snape must have noticed the sadness in Dumbledore’s face because he turned his focus off of the Headmaster and instead focused his gaze on Harry.

“Thank you, Severus,” Dumbledore replied, as the previous emotions left his face. “If you could take a seat, there is something that the both of you need to know.”