Dumbledore could be forgiven for having a moment's disquiet when a visibly angry Snape stormed through his office door, followed closely by an enraged McGonagall and a grimly determined Pomphrey. He barely had the chance to lift his tin of lemon drops, preparatory to offering them to the three, when Snape went on the attack.

"Tell me, Headmaster. Were you deliberately attempting to breed a new Dark Lord, or were you just being criminally negligent?" Snape fairly snarled.

Dumbledore blinked in startlement at that, and set the tin down. "I'm sorry, Severus?" His tone requesting a clarification of what had Snape so angry. The last time he'd seen the man wear his emotions so visibly had been ...

"The *boy*, Headmaster." Snape's tone was rich with disgust and contempt. "The one you seem to expect to save the world? You remember the one. The one you apparently left with *PETUNIA EVANS*." Snape shouted the last two words, startling everyone in the room. He normally did not shout.

McGonagall joined in on the attack at that point. "I told you, Albus. I told you when you left him there! They were entirely unsuitable!" She snapped. "And did you heed me? Did you ensure the boy's well-being? No! And now ... !" She flung a hand at Pomphrey.

Pomphrey was a bit more understated than her compatriots. "Numerous concussions of varying severity. Every rib broken at least once. Broken arm, broken clavicle. Chronic malnutrition, to the point it's stunted the boy's growth. Lingering evidence of numerous, severe beatings, over the course of years."

By the time they'd all wound down, Dumbledore looked positively pasty and completely horrified. "Harry?" His voice was the merest whisper.

"Yes, Harry." Severus snapped. "Were you any other man, *Headmaster*." That last word got spat out with deep contempt and no little amount of anger. "I would demand a duel. You *swore* to me you would do everything in your power to keep Lily and her son *safe*, and yet again ... " He stopped, choking on the words, unable to continue, and turned away from them, flinching a bit when Pomphrey touched his arm sympathetically.

"I have documented the extent of the abuse, Headmaster. The appropriate authorities already know." Thankfully, Poppy thought, the scrolls documented only the abuse, not the name of the child in question. It allowed the child a degree of anonymity, if they so desired, and in this case, that would be very much appreciated. "And verbal testimony has been taken. Fortunately the physical damage is fixable, but what the boy's true state of mind is, is anyone's guess."

"And. You. Will. Stay. Away. From. Him." Snape snarled, having regained his equilibrium and whirled back around to pin the Headmaster to his seat with a poisonous glare. "You have done more than enough damage as it is. Leave the boy to us." He headed for the door. "Oh, and congratulations, sir, on losing your spy."

That finally seemed to get Dumbledore to rally. "Severus, what do you mean?" He asked, still sounding rather dumbfounded and horrified by what he'd heard.

"I mean, sir, that while you may feel free to go back on your word, I do not. I swore to Lily I would look after her son. I made the mistake of trusting you with that charge. I will not do so again. And seeing as being Harry Potter's guardian will make me a bit unpopular with Voldemort's followers, it seems I have retired from the spying game." Snape informed him, then swept out of the room.

"Congratulations, Albus. I hope you're pleased with the way things have gone thanks to your interference." McGonagall fairly purred before she followed Snape out. Pomphrey followed her without a word.

Behind them, a ghost-pale Dumbledore sat slumped in his chair, staring at some point far in the distance. "Oh, Harry." He whispered. "I am so sorry, my boy."

It was some time before the elder wizard managed to regain something like equilibrium, and even then, he was still somewhat off kilter. What had he done? WHY had Petunia ... surely he'd explained it all sufficiently? Maybe he should have explained face to face? Clearly, Arabella had not been a sufficient safeguard for Harry, either that or he'd misinterpreted her reports. He'd have to look at them later.

Regardless, they now had a difficult situation before them. The blood wards had been Harry's only surety against Death Eaters, and, if it happened, Voldemort's return.

Then again, he thought with the first stirrings of something that might be called amusement. Who better to safeguard Harry against that particular evil than Severus? He knew them inside and out, better even than Dumbledore himself. And Merlin alone knew Severus would do anything and everything in his power to keep the boy safe. His devotion to Lily had been, and remained, unwavering, and clearly, he saw Harry as her child, rather than James', a change of mind Dumbledore was grateful for, since things could otherwise have been exceedingly awkward and difficult. That said ... he was going to have a very long and difficult row to hoe with Severus. The man had made carrying a grudge into a fine art, and the fact that Lily was involved, no matter how tangentially, just made matters worse.

For once moving like the old man he was, Dumbledore got to his feet and walked over to Fawkes, stroking his breast. "I shall do as Severus demands, Fawkes, and not interfere unless asked. It will be some time before Severus can begin to forgive me." He sighed. "And I have done Harry a grave disservice."

Fawkes trilled, and Dumbledore gave him a tired smile. "Thank you, my friend. Now, I believe I must retire. There is much to think about."