"Veritaserum is inhumane and against the rules..." Dumbledore instinctively defended himself, trying to salvage his image in Harry and Dudley's eyes.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He wasn't someone who strictly followed the rules, and using them as a shield would only backfire, proving to Harry and Dudley that he was still narrow-minded and unreflective.
"I was wrong! Terribly wrong, from the very beginning!"
Dumbledore spoke heavily, but after saying this, he seemed to shed a great weight, as if a burden had been lifted.
"Dudley, Harry! Perhaps I've never been someone capable of making the right decisions. Mistakes have followed me my entire life.
In my youth, blinded by love, I hurt my family, helped the wrong person, and enabled the rise of the first Dark Lord.
As I grew older, I used inappropriate methods to bring Voldemort into the wizarding world, teaching a man who disregarded life and never understood love the powerful magic that made him the second Dark Lord.
I personally imprisoned the first Dark Lord, which earned me unnecessary fame and admiration, making me even more arrogant and shackling my perspective.
I wanted to atone for my mistakes, to destroy the second Dark Lord, Voldemort, and restore peace to the wizarding world.
This obsession consumed me, made me overlook details, made me willing to sacrifice, led to repeated failures, and forced me into a corner. It made me doubt myself and instead place my faith in a prophecy, shifting the responsibility to Harry.
I've become someone I no longer recognize—or perhaps, I never truly found myself in the first place."
Under Dudley's relentless questioning and prodding, Dumbledore completely lowered his defenses, examining his life from an extreme perspective and delivering a heartfelt monologue.
Harry's eyes shone, deeply moved.
Dudley also nodded in genuine appreciation.
"At a certain age, people's perceptions and thinking become rigid, making it hard to accept new ideas and concepts. I have to admit, Professor Dumbledore, you're an extraordinary person.
At over a hundred years old, you still have the courage to overturn your past and transform into a new self.
For that, you are a great man. This is the first time I've used that term in its true sense to describe you!"
Dudley's acknowledgment slightly soothed Dumbledore's intense emotional turmoil after his self-reflection.
"Harry, Dudley, do you forgive me?" Dumbledore asked, tears in his eyes.
"The truth is mostly clear now. To be fair, you're not to blame for Aunt Lily and Uncle James' deaths.
They joined your side and stood against Voldemort based on their own beliefs.
After the Fidelius Charm was cast, they refused your offer to be the Secret Keeper and entrusted their lives to Sirius.
Whether Sirius truly betrayed them to Voldemort or foolishly passed the role to Pettigrew, indirectly causing the leak, it proves they trusted the wrong person.
Aunt Lily and Uncle James were adults and should bear the consequences of their decisions.
So, I believe Professor Dumbledore isn't at fault here. At most, an unexpected event prevented you from fulfilling your promise to Snape, the spy. It's not about whether Harry and I forgive you."
Dudley gave his fair assessment, then turned to Harry, who nodded in agreement.
The kind-hearted Harry wasn't one to be unreasonable.
"That's good to hear..." Dumbledore felt some relief, but Dudley wasn't done.
Just as Dumbledore began to feel a glimmer of happiness, Dudley interrupted again:
"What you really need to seek forgiveness for is what happened after the tragedy, Professor Dumbledore!
Aunt Lily and Uncle James chose to follow you in fighting Voldemort. While they were alive, that was their decision, and there's nothing more to say.
But after their deaths, as their leader, you owed Harry, my mother Petunia, and even me—their family—a proper explanation and support.
Yet after the incident, you neither uncovered the full truth nor explained things clearly to my parents or expressed your condolences.
You let Harry, still in his infancy, endure the pain of losing his parents, then had Hagrid fly him around on a motorcycle for half the night, leaving him on our doorstep in the cold for hours with nothing but a thin letter.
You didn't even bother to knock on our door to ensure my parents noticed before leaving. You should be grateful Privet Drive was relatively safe and that my mother had the habit of fetching milk early in the morning.
If Harry had been taken by a kidnapper, I can't imagine the tragedy that would have unfolded.
And that letter you left—I've read it. It barely expressed any apology. Instead, it emphasized the necessity of my parents adopting Harry, even with a hint of threat. That's no way to address the family of victims.
My parents treated me well, but let's be honest—they're not kind people. My mother Petunia had conflicts with Aunt Lily over magic from childhood, and my father Vernon is a Muggle who despises wizards.
You knew all this, didn't you, Professor Dumbledore?"
"I did, but..." Dumbledore looked embarrassed.
"But what? But despite knowing all this, you still dumped Harry on them without any preparation or understanding.
Because the protective charm on Harry required him to live with blood relatives in a place that could be called home.
Because the mindless wizards of the magical world hailed Harry as the savior, and you didn't want his childhood filled with praise, fearing it would warp his character.
Is that what you were thinking?"
Dudley's resentment had nearly dissipated after Dumbledore's sincere self-reflection, but when it came to his parents and Harry's childhood, his anger flared up again.
"That was my reasoning, but I failed to consider the details. I'll apologize properly to the Dursleys later," Dumbledore quickly admitted, sensing Dudley's rising anger.
"Failed to consider the details?" Dudley sneered. "Professor Dumbledore, I believe you might have overlooked things in other cases, but not this one. You thought this through perfectly!
You knew my parents' personalities and behavior, yet you still had them raise Harry.
Wasn't it because you wanted Harry to experience a childhood of neglect and hardship, so that when he turned eleven—now, at this very moment—you could bring him into Hogwarts?
Then, as a gentle and mysterious elder, you'd easily win the affection of a lonely orphan, making it easier to guide Harry's growth and, as the prophecy said, turn him into a weapon against Voldemort?"