Dumbledore's Apprentice

Chapter 5

Harry nodded, proud of himself and his achievements over the past two days.

"It seems that you are finally living up to your full potential," commented Dumbledore. "Now that I know what you are truly capable of, I expect nothing less," he reaffirmed.

"Tonight, I wish you to join me in my office. We have a few matters of importance to discuss."

Harry agreed and hurried to finish his supper and nutrient potion. When he was finished, he stood up and followed Dumbledore back to his office. As they entered, the headmaster sat behind his desk while Harry sat in his usual seat in front of the desk.

"First, I wish to inquire about the status of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "Have you disowned them from House Black yet?"

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. I have not had time."

Dumbledore gave Harry a disapproving look. "Take care of that tonight. Notify Gringotts and transfer the contents of Bellatrix's vault, then use the family magic to disown them. Every day we wait is another day Voldemort has access to those resources.

Harry nodded, sufficiently chastised. "I will get that done immediately," he said.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now, I also wish to address the Greengrass situation." He pulled a book from the bookshelf behind his desk and handed it to Harry.

Harry glanced at its title: Wizarding Nobility: A History of the Sacred 28.

"I expect you to read the section on the Greengrass family. In addition, over the next two weeks, I expect you to go through every bill passed in the Wizengamot over the past 10 years to see how Lord Greengrass voted each time. This will enable you to understand his political stance and beliefs."

Harry nodded, overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the task. Sensing Harry's hesitance, Dumbledore continued.

"These people will soon become your family," he said. "It is important to know who you will be getting involved with."

"Okay, I will make it a priority," promised Harry.

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Now that we have those housekeeping items out of the way, I wish to have a serious discussion with you."

Harry sat up in his chair, uncertain what the headmaster wanted to talk about.

"What are your goals, Harry?" Dumbledore asked vaguely.

"To kill Voldemort," Harry said without hesitation.

"Something that I am confident you will achieve," Dumbledore replied. "But after that, what do you hope to accomplish? What will you do when Voldemort is gone forever?"

Harry sat back in thought. He hadn't really considered that. All of his thoughts had been centered on his eventual fight with Voldemort, and he had never thought beyond that.

"I am not sure, sir. I never really thought about life after Voldemort," Harry admitted.

"I thought as much," remarked Dumbledore. "After seeing your remarkable progress in the last few days, I have grown hopeful and even confident that you will be able to defeat the Dark Lord eventually. However, you are capable of much more than that. If you do not have a plan or goals, though, it is unlikely that you will accomplish anything."

Harry continued to think. Finally, an idea came to him. "I want to change the world," he said simply.

"So, you desire power?" asked Dumbledore frankly.

"No!" replied Harry quickly, to which Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in doubt. "I mean, maybe. But I want to use the power to make the world a better place," Harry clarified.