Nor did he bother to point out a large part of his longevity was entirely due to his avoidance of, rather than his prowess in, battle. Yes, Albus could fight and, when he did, he had a long list of spells and counters he could and did use to great advantage. But he tended to avoid battles whenever he could, only showing up when almost all the fighting was finished and only the mop-up was going on. Even back then during the first war, Severus had noticed his reluctance to show up before a fight was winding down. He'd noticed Albus rarely appeared until the fighting was over or nearly so and then only so he could take a lion share of the credit for the victory while everyone who'd done the bulk of the fighting was too exhausted or injured to protest his claims. Or dead. He'd make a speech to the press wherein he would vow to avenge their losses. Usually standing next to the most photogenic corpse at the site of the just finished battle to emphasize his point. A child if he could find one. If not, a woman or badly dehumanized person of indeterminate sex and identity. That way, the public would have no way of claiming he'd promised to avenge their particular fallen family member.
Hell, he'd even done his claiming credit he wasn't due routine to the Potter child over the events the child had been embroiled in these last four years. Look at what he'd done at the conclusion of the Tournament. While Severus took Potter to the Infirmary and saw him into Poppy's capable hands, Albus had stayed on the grounds talking to the press and the Ministry people taking credit for Potter's victory in the Tournament and making statements about what he assumed had taken place when the boy disappeared from the grounds.
And it was an assumption on Albus' part because he hadn't actually said a word to Potter until the following morning. Facts, Severus was well aware, Potter had never officially confirmed or denied. Well, at least to anyone but himself.
Even now, with the next school year well underway, Potter hadn't officially confirmed Albus' statement about where the Tri-Wizard cup had taken him when the hedges had fallen. Or what had occurred at that location. Oh, Severus knew Albus was correct. The Dark Lord had returned that night. But Potter had never confirmed Albus' statement of that to either the Ministry or the Press. Even his vague references of Potter only winning the Tournament due to his own mentorship of the boy during childhood, hadn't brought him any glory with the press and public as it was a well-known fact Potter had done nothing, absolutely nothing, during the course of the Tournament to back up that claim. What skills and talents the boy had displayed weren't things a mentor could have, or would have, taught him.
But his suppositions as to where the cup portkey had transported the boy and what had occurred at that location only brought him a summer's worth of ridicule in the press. Because even when he awoke in the Infirmary to find the Minister, Amelia Bones from the DMLE and Albus all waiting to hear his version of how the Tournament had ended, Potter hadn't said a word about the Dark Lord's return.
Fudge had jumped to the conclusion it had been that band of rogue wanna-be Death Eaters that had attacked the World Quiditch games and Potter had let him believe it. Like any self-respecting Slytherin would which was just further proof Potter was a snake in lion's fur. Potter had seemed to know the Minister wouldn't believe him because he didn't want to believe him. So he'd let the man tell him, Potter, what he personally believed and then went along with that story.
Albus had been furious and had grilled the teenager after the Minister and Amelia had left the grounds but Potter had held his own. He'd simply looked at the old man and said, "If you wanted me to confirm your story Headmaster, maybe you should have made sure I knew what your story to them was. I had no way of knowing that wasn't what you told them. So when he said it, I just went along with him."
Albus had blustered and sputtered for a few minutes before angrily telling Harry he should have told them the truth because now the Ministry would do nothing to prepare for the troubles to come. Harry had laughed and said, "The truth is a wonderful and terrible thing Headmaster. But in this case, it's also something they'd never believe. So they'd have done nothing of any substance."
"Still Harry you should have told him," Albus had replied looking saddened and grave though the lack of a twinkle in his eyes told Severus something Potter had said angered him.
"And so you think I should have told them what exactly? That a dead man performed a ritual to bring another dead man back to corporeal form? Yeah, that would've gone over real well." Harry gave a short bitter laugh. "You seem to forget, Headmaster, the Ministry declared Voldemort dead back when my parents died. They also declared Peter Pettigrew deceased nearly at that same time. So there was no way in hell they would believe Pettigrew performed a ritual to return Voldemort to a human form. Remember I tried to tell them just last year Pettigrew was alive. Especially not when the truth involves yet another supposedly dead man who is anything but. This entire fiasco this year only occurred due to the interference in my life by Barty Crouch Jr who is a long believed supposedly dead prisoner of the infamous prison. He has been here acting as our DADA Professor so as to aid and abet Voldemort in said ritual by ensuring I was available for it's performance. Do you really think I should've told the Minister that story Headmaster? That you had a supposedly dead inmate of Azkaban here under your very nose posing as a teacher and endangering all the students for this entire year? One who openly and with your blessing used the Unforgivable curses on the student body during the course of teaching us the DADA? Should I have told him those facts, Headmaster?"
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