His palms shook as he moved in the direction of his pocket where his wand was kept hidden.
An excuse, he could formulate an excuse. Even though words fell out of his head, leaving him empty and panicked.
"Ok, ok. Mama also recognized what the diary was when I told her about it. Then we found another one - there was one in Sirius' house, his brother had it."
"You have found another!"
"Yeah. I honestly don't know much. They both said that they would handle it and that I shouldn't worry about it."
"And have you any clue how Professor Adams came to learn about horcruxes?"
"Um, I get the impression that her family is worse than the Blacks, but I'm not sure. She never mentioned them until after they found the one in Sirius' house, and she just told me they were evil and keeping Voldemort alive."
"I see. Have you seen this horcrux? Do you know what form it takes?"
Harry shook his head.
"No sir, they didn't want me anywhere near it."
"Very well." Dumbledore stroked his beard as he thought over Harry's excuse. "I am disappointed that you three felt the need to lie to me, Harry. Surely you understand that we are on the same side in this."
"Sirius is really mad with how you handled the last war," Harry said. He sure hoped Sirius and mama did not mind that he was throwing them under the bus. He wasn't lying exactly, he was just trying to ensure he stayed the innocent kid in Dumbledore's eyes. The Headmaster wouldn't easily be able to hurt Sirius or mama. "I don't think they distrust you, sir. I think they were just trying to keep it a complete secret. And with all due respect, you're very cagey yourself, Headmaster. You've barely told me anything about these lesson's purpose. Were you ever going to explain the horcruxes to me outright?"
Dumbledore did not look impressed at his complaints.
"I had hoped to keep you out of the direct fire, my boy, for as long as I could. These are not subjects appropriate for a child."
"I disagree. You said that last time, about the prophecy. It is too late for such notions, Professor. Firstly, Sirius and mama want me to stay out of the fight as well, but they still make a point to keep me updated. They do not belittle me with withholding information. And secondly, it does not matter how much you adults think you can protect me from this. My name has come out of the Goblet of Fire, Professor. We all agree that it must be Voldemort who has done so. I am involved, even if we don't want me to be. I do not have the luxury of being treated as a child any longer. And lastly, are you not training me to kill Voldemort, is that not what this is? I am allowed to learn Voldemort's weaknesses, just in case, but only spoon-fed information when you think it is necessary?"
Harry, against his judgment, lifted his eyes to meet Dumbledore's in a violent staredown.
"I assure you, Professor Dumbledore, that if I could walk away from all this bullshit, I would do so. I would gladly let the adults fix all this. But I have seen that to do would be irresponsible. I do not hold most adults in my life to a very high standard. It seems like all you do is plot and gossip and do very little to actually fix things. We may go to war!
I may have been a baby when the last one ended, but I still bear the scars of those times. You cannot assume none of us will be forced to help fight. I am sick and tired of this charade. You can't expect me to sit around and play Quidditch while Voldemort pulls the strings of this tournament behind our backs, while the Ministry forces me to lie and tell everyone that everything is going to be fine all the while Voldemort might be planning another terrorist attack -"
Harry paused and breathed for a second.
"I'm sorry Professor. That got a bit, er. It's been a stressful few weeks, as you said."
Dumbledore looked neither mutinous nor angry at his outburst. Though his eyes were not twinkling and his half-moon spectacles slipped down his nose as he bowed his head.
"I apologize, Harry." The words sounded genuine. "It was not my intention to upset or disrespect you. I can see now that I am the only party still attempting to treat you as a child. Voldemort and the Ministry through the tournament will not give you that respect. It is unhelpful. and I will stop treating you as such."
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