To make matters worse Dumbledore had been profoundly rebuffed from his attempts to claim the Sword afterwards. The Greengrass and Longbottom Heirs had both starting stating Right of Conquest and Right of Bequeathment allowing Harry Potter to wiggle around and maintain control of such a dangerous weapon…
The boy was treading a dangerous path. Dumbledore could see all the signs he had missed with Tom Riddle. Harry had been sent to the Dursleys in an effort to both ensure the boy's safety and to lower his confidence. As long as Dumbledore could influence the boy and direct him, Harry could be steered away from the Dark. Yet now he was slipping through Dumbledore's fingers. Harry Potter was gaining allies and friends at an alarming rate. Bathsheda Babbling was making inquiries into his past and trying to remove him from the environment Dumbledore had so careful engendered for the boy. He knew the Dursleys weren't loving but they weren't as bad as other options. Taking care of the few people who looked too closely was trivial. The boy had simply been acting out as children were wont to do. But he could not simply obliviate or compulse Babbling. As frustrating as she was, she was extremely skilled and resourceful.
Somehow Harry had managed to win over Dumbledore's oldest supporter as well. Minerva had been berating him in public! In public! Why could she not see that he needed to be the one to show the boy the correct path?
The Longbottom scion had been a good choice of friends. Even the Granger girl appeared to quite useful if frustratingly superior and resourceful. The Bones heiress could have been a problem if young Susan was closer, though on the periphery it left Amelia still removed from the boy so the situation was not untenable. Dumbledore still lamented that young Ronald Weasley continued to destroy any hope of befriending the boy. The Weasleys were a firm light side family and he had promised Molly long ago that Harry would be Ginevra's intended. At least the girl and the older members of the family were not pushing Harry away as Ronald was determined to do.
Saving the Davis girl was unforeseen. Dumbledore had known of course about the basilisk. It was rather hard to truly hide information about the goings on in the castle when many of the portraits reported to him. A 60 foot snake – even one that primarily stayed in the walls – was not particularly stealthy. He hadn't known for certain just who had been controlling the serpent but it hadn't managed to take out anyone of importance prior to Granger. And even when it had, that had certainly worked as sufficient motivation for Harry. Dumbledore was a little disappointed he had run straight to Babbling with his discovery rather than someone like Minerva or Severus or himself but…the boy had figured it out and still showed the determination to assist. That was a good sign.
Greengrass though…Greengrass was a problem. Dumbledore was not fooled by the "Grey" veneer. The "Neutral" family. There was no such thing as "Neutral" or "Grey", there was only Light and Dark. The Good and the Bad. That Harry was now closely associating with the Dark was…problematic. Worrisome. Harry was already being corrupted. He had killed with no true remorse shown. Quirrell had been understandable. That poor man had been utterly corrupted by Voldemort's shade. But the basilisk was intelligent and desperate. Surely Harry could have reasoned with it? Surely he could have taken the time to make the creature see. Even after the stress of the situation was diminishing Harry had allowed the house elf to assault Lucius! That the elf likely had legitimate grievances was irrelevant – such violence was evidence that Harry was starting to slip.
And the diary. The Horcrux. The indisputable proof that he had been correct. That Voldemort had survived utilizing these items. And that Harry Potter would have to die.
The residual scans of the diary were clear. They matched those Dumbledore had taken long ago of Harry's scar. The boy was a Horcrux. Of that there was no doubt. Greengrass' involvement may have jump started the corruption of the horrid remnant or it may have become more active on its own. Either way, it was clear that Harry was being influenced by the spirit sheltering within him.
If Dumbledore could not pull Harry back to the Light and convince him of the rightness of the path he must tread…then Albus Dumbledore would make certain that Harry Potter did not walk the easier route. When Gellert fell to the Dark Dumbledore had lost his lover. He had lost his friend. He had lost his sister. When Riddle fell he had lost his remaining faith and hope.
Dumbledore would not allow a third Dark Lord to arise because of his lack of action. Harry Potter would return to the Light and rid himself of the Horcrux willingly…or Harry Potter would meet his next great adventure before his ascendance to power.
Tonks Whose First Name Is Not To Be Spoken,
Hi, Tonks. You had said I could write if I wanted so I figured I'd send you a short letter. I imagine by now Susan has told her Aunt Amelia (great job letting me know that your partner that day was the big boss by the way...) about the Chamber of Secrets and the monster. In case word didn't filter back down to you though I wanted to give you a head's up that the monster was a basilisk. It's dead now. My friends and I killed the thing. I don't think it was entirely sane at the end which is a bit sad. I might not have had to kill it if it had listened to me. (I can talk to snakes by the way. You're a metamorphmagus, I'm a parseltongue. We each have rare gifts!)
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