The second motivation was probably related to Harry's protection and the sentimental thinking Dumbledore had always had about giving Harry a normal childhood.
Harry snorted and received a chiding look from Hedwig.
Dumbledore had failed on every level to give Harry a normal childhood. As he had said to Neville, he had forgiven Dumbledore for placing him with the Dursleys but he would never forget it. He was prepared to admit at last that not only had his treatment there been horrid to endure, it had been abusive and abnormal. If taking the Dursleys to court wouldn't turn into a press circus, Harry might have been willing to see justice done.
After Voldemort and as soon as he turned seventeen, Harry promised himself. He'd buy Grunnings, fire Vernon and find a way to evict Petunia from her dream house. He didn't want any of them dead so they could remain in the house until Voldemort was dealt with but after that…all bets were off.
There was a small part of him that argued against it, pointing out that didn't he owe them for taking him in at least, but when he remembered how grudgingly he'd been housed, fed and clothed, Harry had to admit that it wasn't right that the Dursleys never had to face up to their actions in regards to what they'd done to him.
A large part of him still wanted to ignore it; to focus on the present and future and forget his past with his hateful relatives.
Harry sighed as Hedwig shuffled over to his shoulder and began to preen his hair. He had been thinking about Dumbledore's motivations about the wand not the Dursleys, he reminded himself.
So, Dumbledore had kept the secret to protect the wand from Voldemort and to continue to protect Harry from the responsibility of it. That made sense. But for Dumbledore not to have simply told Sirius that he had the wand when the subject had come up over the stone…
It was possible that Dumbledore also felt the wand was his by rights regardless of Harry's ancestral claim upon it. And Sirius and Remus had both confirmed after they'd exited the memory that under the law, Dumbledore could claim he had won the wand fairly after defeating Grindelwald. Legally, it was all very grey and could go either way if Harry ever took it to court.
And it was all too possible that this was another of the Headmaster's manipulations; that Dumbledore intended to reveal the secret but only when he wanted to reveal the secret – when Dumbledore deemed it was right and necessary for the secret to be known.
Harry scowled and Hedwig tugged on his hair.
"Ow!" He turned to glare at her and she glared right back. "It's just…why can't he be straightforward and honest?"
Hedwig barked her agreement.
It was what he hated about politics and strategy in general; the constant need to determine who needed information, what information could be used to gain leverage and advantage. If everybody was just honest with each other…possibly there would be a bloodbath but at the end of it everybody would know where they stood.
Harry sighed.
What to do about Dumbledore?
Sirius had suggested they could confront him, ask him about the wand. But what good would it do really? Because Harry had no problems Dumbledore holding onto the wand. He didn't want it. Putting it in the family vault was an option but Voldemort had already proven that he wasn't scared to attempt a break-in at Gringotts with the Philosopher's stone.
No, Dumbledore was right that it was better he kept hold of it.
But what if Harry holding all three Hallows was the important thing? What if Harry needed the Elder wand to discover some unknown power (although he really didn't want to be known as the Master of Death)?
He wished the prophecy hadn't been so woolly. He wished that it had actually specified in great detail just what the power was that he had that Voldemort didn't. But, of course, he couldn't be that lucky. And he needed to do better than he had at the World Cup. He knew he'd let his anger rule him and he couldn't afford that. He needed to be sensible; responsible. He grimaced and pushed his glasses up his nose.
Dobby popped onto the grass in front of him. "It bes about to rain, Harry Potter, sir."
Harry nodded. Dobby was incredibly good at predicting the weather.
"Something troubles Harry Potter?" Dobby asked worriedly.
"Just…thinking, Dobby." Harry assured the house elf.
Dobby pulled on his ear. "Perhaps Dobby can offer advice like Master Yoda?"
Harry smiled. Dobby loved the original Star Wars trilogy. "What advice would you give me then, Dobby?"
"Named your fear must be before banish it you can." Dobby said promptly.
"You may have a point." Harry mused. What was his fear? He was afraid that he'd never find the power to defeat Voldemort. He was scared of losing the people he loved like he had lost his parents. He was worried that the Headmaster's habit of keeping secrets would lead to both those things. It wasn't the wand that was the issue; it was the keeping secrets that the Headmaster needed to be faced with.
"Thanks, Dobby."
Dobby's ears flapped with pleasure. "Dobby will be making Harry Potter some hot chocolate."
Harry got the message; he should go inside. He sent Hedwig aloft and made his way back into the house. He knew Sirius had probably been watching him from the study and he made his way there.
Both Sirius and Remus sat at their respective desks. Both of them looked up when Harry knocked softly on the open door.
"Hey."
Harry saw the lines of worry bracketing Sirius's eyes and berated himself for rushing off after seeing the memories. "Hey. Can I talk to you?"
"Always." Sirius pointed at the comfy visitor's chair and Harry hurried over to it. "I take it you've thought about the issue of the wand?"
Harry nodded. Dobby popped in, handed him a mug of chocolate and popped away again.
Remus looked enviously at the mug before gesturing impatiently at Harry. "And?"
"I think the wand is safest with Professor Dumbledore until we know more about the power the Hallows are supposed to have and how bringing them together is supposed to help defeat a Dark Lord if at all." Harry began. "The Headmaster's had it for years so I don't see the point of him giving it to me and arguably it is his wand legally anyway."
Remus and Sirius exchanged a quick look between them and Remus looked smug. Harry's eyes narrowed; had they bet on his reaction?
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