𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐬 | 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐞𝐫𝐚

Chapter 44. Dumbledore and Harry Chat ☾

"Why? Why didn't you kill me back then? You had the chance. You had the opportunity. I was right there! You could have dropped me! You could have put a pillow over my head and ended it! Why did you raise me to die?" Harry growled. The headmaster turned back to Harry.

"Are you quite done, Mister Potter?" Dumbledore questioned. Harry snorted.

"Breathing? Not yet." Harry retorted. He jumped out of his chair.

"Harry, I knew you were destined to die the moment I heard the prophecy. I learned not to form attachments to lost causes years ago." Dumbledore started. Harry clenched his teeth. "Yes, you will die. Whether it be by my hand or by Voldemort's is yet to be seen. I believe a lot of it has to do with what you decide. You can go out like a hero or a tragedy can occur. It really is up to you."

"All this time? Every year? All you tried to do was kill me?" Harry asked, half-hurt, half-livid. Dumbledore shrugged.

"I figured what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You need to be strong if you want to defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore added. Harry huffed.

"I could run away, right now. I could take Sirius, Mione, Draco, even Professor Snape, and we could all run away. We could go anywhere. It doesn't take much to get lost. A little plastic surgery and my scar's gone. You would never be able to find us." Harry threatened. Dumbledore cocked his head to the side.

"You wouldn't really do that, would you Harry? You wouldn't let the good wizards and witches of England suffer at the hand of a delusional man just so that you could live a cushy life on the continent somewhere." Dumbledore replied.

"Either way, the wizarding world is screwed. You're turning out to be a not-so-hot option, as well." Harry attacked.

"Do you really think you are more valuable than all of England? All of the world?" Dumbledore continued, ignoring Harry.

"You made sure I didn't think that way. You had my uncle and aunt torture me so that I would think of myself as less than I am." Harry accused. Dumbledore lifted his hands in surrender.

"I only take credit for knowing they would not be kind to you. I did not tell them to specifically abuse you, nor did I instruct them on how to do it. I'm not a monster." Dumbledore joked. Harry shook his head.

"No, you are worse than a monster! What? Were you planning on having me attack Voldemort, dying, and then you stepping in to finish him off?" Harry queried snidely. Dumbledore considered this.

"That was the general outline, I do admit. Harry, don't you wonder how I knew Voldemort would return? Or better yet, did you ever think to ask the question how he didn't die that night?" Dumbledore wondered. Harry sighed.

"How?" He asked defeatedly. He had to admit, he was running out of steam. All of his worst fears were being realized and he did not even begin to know what to do.

"Harry, have you ever heard of a horcrux?" Dumbledore probed. Harry lied and shook his head. "It is an awful piece of magic. It is something created when a person splits his soul and places part of said soul in a container. That container keeps the soul and tethers the person to this earth. While they might not have a physical body, they are still alive. The only way to split one's soul, however, is through murder. Killing splits the soul and allows the person to create their own immortality. Usually, the person who wishes to create one only creates one. However, Tom Riddle was always exceptional and did not want to change that. He created seven, Harry. One of them, I'm almost sorry to say, is you." There was a beat of silence. Then, another. Harry waited for more explanation. He waited for Dumbledore to say he was disheartened to find out this was the case. He waited for something to happen that would restore his faith in the man that stood before him.