Dumbledore's Apprentice

Chapter 2

Harry left Gryffindor Tower and began his walk towards Dumbledore's office, ready to begin his first day as Dumbledore's apprentice. Finally, he passed the gargoyles standing watch and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Harry," said Dumbledore from within. Harry opened the door and walked in, taking a seat in chair in front of the Headmaster's mahogany desk.

"Lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore with a slight smirk on his face, pointing to the bowl of candy on his desk.

"No, thank you," replied Harry. "I've just had breakfast."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded in understanding. "Very well. I am assuming you had the chance to say goodbye to your friends this morning?"

Harry simply nodded, not willing to give further explanation.

Dumbledore, sensing his reticence, did not press the issue. "Good. Let us begin then," he said. He grabbed a large stack of papers from underneath the desk and plopped it on top of the desk in front of Harry. "Let's get through this paperwork and make it official."

"Paperwork?" asked Harry in confusion.

"Of course, my boy," said Dumbledore as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "You didn't think this apprenticeship was informal? No, Harry, an apprenticeship is something very formal. A wizard doesn't take on an apprentice lightly. It is a very serious decision. When a wizard chooses an apprentice, it basically means that the wizard has chosen his own successor."

Harry gulped. He had no idea the true significance of what Dumbledore was offering him.

"I had no idea, sir," he stuttered. "Were you ever an apprentice?"

"I was, in fact, many years ago," Dumbledore replied. "I was an apprentice under Nicholas Flamel, who you are undoubtedly familiar with. He was the world's greatest alchemist and, as you know, creator of the Philosopher's Stone. It was under his tutelage that I discovered the 12 uses of dragon's blood."

Harry could only nod. He knew that Dumbledore was a friend of the Flamels, but he did not know the extent of their relationship.

"What is the paperwork for, sir?" asked Harry respectfully.

"Oh, this and that," said Dumbledore evasively. "It will notify the Ministry and by extension, the magical world, that I have officially chosen you as my apprentice. I also agree to take a degree of responsibility for your actions while you are my apprentice. Finally, and perhaps most importantly in your case, it will emancipate you and exempt you from the restriction on underage sorcery, so that you may train outside of the normal school year."

Harry grinned, excited to finally be free of the underage restriction. However, a thought occurred to him.

"Sir, will there be political repercussions for you by accepting me as your apprentice?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled gently. "You have grown, my boy. You have begun thinking of politics already!" he said in an amused tone. "To answer your question, yes. This decision will have enormous consequences in the political sphere, something we will need to use to our advantage. But we will discuss that more later today," he promised.

Harry nodded.

"First, you need to sign the paperwork," Dumbledore instructed as he handed him a quill. As Harry looked at it, he realized it was a blood quill and looked at Dumbledore in alarm.

"I understand your hesitance to use the blood quill," Dumbledore said sadly. "Madam Umbridge never should have used that on you. However, in the world of business and politics, blood quills are frequently used to sign contracts and documents. Used for very short amounts of time, they are harmless."