Machinations of an Old Man

(Dumbledore POV)

"So," I muse on the report Severus has just given me. "Not only has Harry become aware of the Sorcerer's Stone, but also my connection with Nicholas." My eyes focus on his own. "And you are absolutely certain of this?"

He nods. "Unlike his sister, I've been using Legilimency to peek into his mind. There can be no doubt."

I nod, glad that he's been following my instructions on not intruding upon her mind. It's a risk with little to no gain, judging by the Sorting Hat's words. Speaking of the girl…

"How is their relationship? When I spoke with Harry about the Mirror, he seemed upset with her.

He scowls. "The boy has been avoiding her, and the Weasley child has been working to infect him with his own views on my House." He sniffs derisively. "It seems to be working, as he's started thinking of her as becoming cruel and callous since joining Slytherin."

I hold back a smirk. 'I knew that it was the right thing to do in telling Harry how the Mirror worked. Though I do find it curious as to why she has no strong desire for anything.'

While it does show the desire in a person's heart, it must be strong enough for the Mirror of Erised to reflect. Hence, Harry seeing the family he never knew, and Ronald seeing himself succeeding and surpassing his siblings.

So implying that she does not care about their parents- which is merely an exaggeration, but an accurate one- has successfully driven a wedge between them. Making molding the boy for his destiny far easier than if she were to be standing by his side.

While I'm feeling proud of a plan well done, Snape complains about the recent Quidditch game. "Was it really necessary to have the Snitch fly so close to me?"

I sigh. "Severus, even if I was present at the game, the match needed to end as soon as possible in order to prevent Quirrell from attempting another assassination."

The fact that I found it amusing seeing Harry and Draco nearly knock him off the broom half a dozen times while fighting over the Snitch has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Scowling once again, he has one final report to deliver. "After the game, I confronted Quirrell about his attempts to get past Hagrid's beast. Luckily he has so far failed to find a method."

I nod. That is well within my expectations. Though I will need him to confront Harry before the end of the year. It's the only way to instill in him that the threat of Voldemort is still present, as well as urge him to grow into a protector. Or perhaps an avenger. So long as the end result is him being killed by Voldemort, the path does not overly matter.

And Severus' next words fill me with hope that it will be done. "The boy saw the confrontation, though I am unsure of how much he heard."

"Well done, Severus. Things are on track for finally putting an end to the threat Voldemort poses to the world."

He doesn't reply, though that is no surprise. I am fully aware that he doesn't care about the world itself, but rather for avenging the object of his one-sided affection. In fact, I am fairly certain that he has a shrine honoring her hidden away somewhere, but so long as it impacts his duties, I will let him do as he pleases.

"Now, onto more unfortunate matters." I hand him an opened letter that was laying on my desk, and watch as his expression twists as he reads it.

His head shoots up so he can meet my eyes, but my own skill in Occlumency prevents his subtle attempts at intruding. Internally, I smirk. Our partnership is not built upon trust, but necessity. Should either of us be able to achieve our goal without the other, we would do so. But so long as they align, our uneasy partnership will hold.

Or at least, that is the image I wish for him to have. After all, I put in quite the effort into gaining his allegiance.

"Is this true?" He asks. To which I simply nod. He sighs. "We will need to find a place for them to stay. Along with Petunia." He practically spits the name from his mouth, his dislike for her evident.

Admittedly, my own interactions with her were brief. Mainly me informing her that, as Lily's sister, Harry would need to call her own house his home in order to be protected. Though the encounter that has the most powerful presence in my memory is when she snuck into the school by hiding in her sister's luggage in the hopes of us letting her stay and attempt to learn magic.

The look on her face when we sent her home would have been heartbreaking… if I hadn't steeled my heart against such things long ago. Though I recall that Minerva and Filch tried their best to comfort her. Minerva because she is one of the most kind-hearted witches I've ever known, and Filch because he could sympathize with her situation, being a squib.

'Huh. Thinking about it now, I do believe that it was around that time that she started her hatred for the wizarding world. I wave the thought away. No matter. The past cannot be changed, and I don't see any benefit that would be gained from trying anyways.'

"As loath as I am to say it, we might have to set them up with an already established wizarding family. One with a willingness to protect Harry from any dark wizards with designs on him."

He raises an eyebrow at my phrasing. "And the girl?"

A slight shrug. "She is of much less importance than her twin. While her death would definitely be a detriment to his mental health, it could also be the jolt he needs to firmly set himself as an opponent to Voldemort. But I do not believe we should try and tip the scales one way or the other."

He nods, and we ponder on who we should have them stay with. 'It will need to be someone with a positive view on the boy. Someone who will protect him like he is a member of their own family. Ideally, someone who's possible death could trigger another instance of powerful protection for him. Like his mother's did. Someone that he would want to stay with, but will follow my directions…'

It's when my eyes land on yet another letter of complaint from Filch, this time of a string of explosive pranks throughout the castle, that I realize who would be perfect.

"The Weasley family should take in the boy and his aunt." Severus gives me a look of disapproval.

"The all Gryffindor family, who nearly all have an acute hatred for all Slytherins?" He sneers dismissively. "They'd start a war with his sister before we were five minutes out of the door. If Petunia hadn't raised their ire to the point of being thrown out."

I smile. "Petunia has barely woken up from the event that took her husband and son's life. It would be no surprise if she were to fall unconscious for an indeterminable amount of time. As for Misha? I can leave it to you to find alternate housing for her."