Year 2 Epilogue

Albus Dumbledore rested his chin on his steepled fingers and sighed, thinking of the events of the year. Fawkes cooed softly beside him, and he changed position to scratch his head.

He was terribly worried.

The terrible things Harry had been through hadn't ended when he left the orphanage. No, he was suffering at Hogwarts.

Albus had watched as Harry became more and more ostracized as the year went on. He tried to help, but there was little he could do. The Heads of House could announce punishments until they were blue in the face, but it simply wouldn't stop children from being afraid, or even hating another student.

And so Harry had suffered.

And then, Harry had gone into the Chamber, aiding the Task Force. It had been wonderful, and Albus had been sure it would begin the healing he so desperately needed. He watched, overjoyed, as students from other houses came and apologized to Harry for their conduct. He knew Harry hadn't necessarily appreciated the apologies, but they would begin closing the gaps.

And then Gilderoy had struck.

When Minerva's Patronus had come into his office, Albus had nearly had a heart attack. Harry was in the center of things, yet again.

And after the trial, the furious fans.

Albus was truly afraid.

Harry was in a prime position for his heart to fill with hate. For his soul to be consumed with rage. Albus would be loath to let that happen to any student under his care, but Harry Potter? Son of James and Lily, people he had felt proud to call comrades in arms? The child of prophecy foretold to defeat Voldemort, through his capability to love?

No.

Albus could not let that happen.

The problem becomes, then: What could he do?

The boy needs nothing more than love, care, and attention. The boy needs to be made to feel accepted. This was not entirely in Albus' control.

Remus would help. He was a good choice for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He would be able to hold the class' interest, and more importantly, impart knowledge to them. And Remus was a warm, kind man, with a truly gentle soul. And Remus had been close to Harry's parents.

Yes. I will ask Remus to try to form a relationship with Harry. It can only help him. Help him truly flesh out his parents, into real people. I doubt Severus has been much help with that, Dumbledore suppressed a snort. The only person worse than Severus to ask about his parents would be the caretaker. Or at least, about his father.

But still, that wouldn't be enough.

No. I have delegated the issue of Harry Potter for too long. And why? Because I am too afraid to face my mistakes. I must attempt to draw the boy in. To show him, love. Shown love, he will warm.

Yes. That would be it. Perhaps offer tutelage in Magical Theory? He seems interested enough in that. Or maybe even something not offered on the curriculum. Maybe offer to teach him whatever he wants to learn.

He does seem to love knowledge. He could easily pass for Ravenclaw, in fact.

It was settled, in Albus' mind at least. He would offer Harry lessons in whatever he wished. That should be enough to bring the boy closer.

Severus Snape wished he could simply kill himself.

Watching the thestral-drawn carriages depart the school, Snape knew he would soon be receiving communications from his master.

And no matter what Harry chose, he would suffer. He would be terribly tortured if Harry rejected the Dark Lord's offer, and he would feel pain whenever he looked at Harry if he accepted it.

Severus Snape simply wished he could kill himself. But alas, he could not. So he went back to his potion brewing and awaited his summons.

And in the study of Malfoy Manor, one of the chairs was occupied.

The Malfoys had gone out, wanting to do some shopping before picking up their precious son and his friend from the train. In the meantime, their guest sat and went over his plans.

And waited.