Chapter 628 – You Listen to Me!!
"I know you don't want to hear this, so let's talk about what happened tonight.
"The first wrong decision Darren made was that he didn't wait for Severus to return.
"The second was that he went to fight the centaurs…"
"It was those centaurs who attacked us first!"
Harry glared angrily at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore waited for him to calm down before continuing.
"I know the centaurs attacked you first, but Darren clearly had a better way to take you away immediately.
"Instead, he chose the most dangerous method, which led to his injury."
"He did it for us! He saw that we were about to be killed, he—"
Harry's voice broke, and he couldn't continue.
Dumbledore looked at him with pity.
"Yes… yes. That's true. It was his kindness. I only regret that he made such an unwise choice. If he had—"
"Enough! He's already… Don't talk about him anymore!"
Harry stood up angrily.
Dumbledore sighed.
"Harry, listen to me.
"Severus told me that your irritability was caused by Voldemort guiding you through dreams related to the Department of Mysteries."
" Snape didn't teach me Occlumency properly at all! He only made me more irritable and opened my mind even wider to Voldemort!"
"It's Professor Snape, Harry. I trust him. He wouldn't do that."
"But he wouldn't teach me Occlumency!"
"That was because Darren agreed to stop it," Dumbledore said quietly.
"Darren felt that your exams were approaching and didn't want you to be too exhausted.
"Didn't you notice that every time Occlumency was mentioned, he became hesitant?"
Harry remembered it clearly now. Every time Occlumency was brought up, Darren would quickly change the subject.
Harry had thought Darren avoided it because he himself wasn't good at it. He never imagined it was because Darren was worried about him being too tired.
"Wasn't it you who insisted that I learn Occlumency? How could Darren tell me to stop and just let it go?"
"So this was Darren's third mistake," Dumbledore said softly.
"He shouldn't have let you stop privately. Still, I believe Severus may not have handled things well after you saw his memories.
"I could have continued teaching you.
"But Darren should have insisted that Severus continue. If he had insisted, I believe Severus—"
"I don't need you to accuse him in front of me!"
Harry stared viciously at the old man.
Why was every mistake being placed on Darren?
If it weren't for Snape's attitude toward him, how could Darren have allowed Occlumency to stop out of concern for him?
"Yes, Harry. In the end, it is all my fault," Dumbledore said quietly.
"I should have told you everything earlier.
"When you were born, I placed you at your aunt's doorstep.
"Many people advised me to place you with a wizarding family, but I refused.
"Because I knew Voldemort would return. He would become stronger, and one day, even I might not be able to defeat him.
"I could not raise you as a carefree prince. Voldemort fell, but his Death Eaters were still at large.
"They were desperate to kill you and avenge their master.
"Your mother's blood protection, created by her sacrifice, protects you as long as you call your aunt's house home, and as long as you return there once a year."
"But they hate me…"
"Yes. But they are your only relatives.
"As long as you consider it home, the protection remains.
"Then came your first year. Your first year was full of restraints.
"Darren appeared beside you, showing extraordinary strength. Together, you protected the Philosopher's Stone. Together, you faced Voldemort.
"When you lay weakly in the hospital wing and finally woke up, I wondered whether I should tell you the truth.
"I hesitated. I said nothing. I lied to you… and I lied to Darren."
"You were doubting Darren,"
Harry said immediately.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes. You're right. From the beginning, I doubted Darren, and those doubts never fully disappeared.
"In your second year, Darren revealed that he could speak Parseltongue. When I learned of it, I was nearly stunned.
"I even believed he might have been sent by Voldemort, so I used Veritaserum on him.
"I discovered that, like you, he carried fragments connected to Voldemort within his mind.
"I suspect that fragment was left behind when Voldemort tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse in your first year.
"It terrified me. One more fragment of Voldemort meant one more danger.
"I even considered killing him. Yes, I truly considered it.
"But I couldn't. Like everyone else, I knew he was a good child.
"So I made a decision: I would train Darren the same way I trained you.
"By your third year, you saved Sirius Black. You protected Buckbeak. I knew you were growing stronger.
"Should I tell you everything then?
"I hesitated again. I made the mistake many people make—I believed I could control everything. But I couldn't.
"By your fourth year, the nightmares began. When Sirius mentioned them to me, I knew Voldemort had returned.
"During the Triwizard Tournament, you and Darren were taken to the graveyard. I saw everything.
"I watched you being tortured. I watched you return with Amos Diggory's body, while Darren lay in St. Mungo's.
"He barely slept, waking night after night.
"You were the same—haunted by nightmares.
"My excuses ran out. You had seen Voldemort return. I should have told you then.
"But when I saw the dark circles under your eyes every morning, Darren's dazed state, your growing irritability… I delayed again.
"I wanted to wait until matters with the Ministry were settled, until you could accept everything safely.
"Then came the incident with Arthur Weasley, and I asked Severus to teach you Occlumency.
"I knew Voldemort had noticed the connection. You could see his thoughts.
"I hoped Severus could help you master Occlumency—"
"I couldn't do it!"
Harry cried out.
"I couldn't practice it! I dreamed every day and every night… Hermione and Darren kept telling me to close my mind…
"I couldn't do it! And if I had succeeded, I wouldn't have had those dreams, I wouldn't have been lured there, and Darren wouldn't have—"
Harry's tears finally spilled over.
"Darren told me he felt uneasy… He asked me to confirm it.
"And Kreacher told me—Kreacher lied to me!"