Albus Dumbledore sat quietly in his office at Hogwarts, the soft crackle of the fireplace the only sound in the vast, circular room. His blue eyes, framed by half-moon spectacles, were deep in thought as they surveyed the enchanted trinkets and devices scattered across his desk. The ancient headmaster of Hogwarts, revered by many, had a weight on his shoulders that only he fully understood. As the leader of the Order of the Phoenix and a key figure in the British wizarding world, Dumbledore knew he was orchestrating a delicate, dangerous balance between light and dark forces.
His thoughts, however, were always anchored by two central figures: Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
Harry, the boy who lived, was now approaching his Hogwarts years, blissfully unaware of the monumental role he would have to play in the battle against Voldemort. Dumbledore had placed the child with the Dursleys for his own protection, though he knew it was far from ideal. Still, the blood wards were powerful—perhaps the only protection strong enough to shield Harry until the time came for him to reenter the wizarding world. The prophecy weighed heavily on Dumbledore's mind, the foretelling of Harry's pivotal role in defeating the Dark Lord. He knew that Harry's life had to be orchestrated carefully, each step planned to prepare him for the inevitable clash with Voldemort.
But Voldemort, the wizard once known as Tom Riddle, was another matter entirely. His spirit lingered, weakened but not destroyed. Dumbledore had always understood Voldemort better than most—his obsession with power, his twisted pursuit of immortality, and his belief that fear and dominance could bring order to the world. What worried Dumbledore most was that Tom's ideology still had appeal, even after all the devastation his rise to power had caused. Dark magic was seductive, and there were those—both within and outside the Ministry—who would eagerly welcome Voldemort's return if it meant power for themselves.
Yet Dumbledore had his own plans. Plans that, in their own way, were no less controversial. He was playing a long game, a strategy that others could not fully comprehend. Everything he did—his decisions about Hogwarts, the Order, and even Harry—was all for what he called the "greater good." It was a philosophy that had been shaped in his youth, a philosophy he once shared with Gellert Grindelwald, though their paths had diverged violently since then. The greater good meant sacrifices, calculated risks, and sometimes deception. It meant guiding the wizarding world away from both Voldemort's tyranny and the more insidious threats lurking in the shadows.
He was a master of playing both sides—appearing as the benevolent headmaster to some, while moving pieces on the grand chessboard that few could see. His true objective was peace, but he knew that peace would come at a cost. Harry, in particular, was a key piece in this game. Dumbledore had already foreseen that the boy's life would not be easy, but he was necessary for Voldemort's downfall. Harry had to be prepared, even if it meant manipulating events in the boy's life to fit the plan.
His eyes wandered over to the Pensieve on his desk. Memories swirled within the silver basin, some from his own life, others collected from various allies and enemies over the years. One of these memories concerned another boy—Alaric Black.
The Black family was an enigma, even to Dumbledore. Their pure-blood legacy and notorious dark affiliations made them formidable, yet not all Blacks had followed the same path. Alaric's potential intrigued him. The boy was different—intelligent, cautious, and secretive. His family's involvement in darker arts was clear, but there was something in Alaric's manner that made Dumbledore wonder if he would become an ally or a foe in the future. He knew Alaric was aware of things beyond his age—there were rumors of ancient knowledge hidden within the Black bloodline, magic older than even Hogwarts itself.
Though Dumbledore had not yet made direct contact with Alaric, he kept a close watch. The boy would soon be joining Hogwarts, and Dumbledore needed to assess where his loyalties lay. While the headmaster did not expect Alaric to align with Voldemort, he was equally uncertain if the boy would support his own vision for the future.
Alaric's Opinion of Dumbledore
Alaric Black, now nearly eleven, had developed a cautious opinion of Dumbledore over the years, though he had never met the headmaster in person. His opinion had been shaped largely by what he had read and heard from the Black family—and it wasn't flattering.
From a young age, Alaric had been taught to look beyond the public image of people in power, to question their motives and actions. His family, despite their dark history, prided themselves on not blindly following any ideology. Alaric had absorbed the stories of Dumbledore's role in the First Wizarding War, of how he had been hailed as the savior of the magical world, but he had also been told of the man's flaws.
The Blacks, particularly the neutral branches of the family, had always viewed Dumbledore with skepticism. His involvement with Grindelwald and the philosophy of the "greater good" raised alarm bells for many in the family. The idea that one man could decide what sacrifices were necessary for the sake of the world seemed too close to the ideology of control that Voldemort himself espoused. The "greater good," they said, was just another excuse to consolidate power, to make decisions on behalf of others without their consent.
Alaric had also heard other neutral voices from families not aligned with Dumbledore, families that valued autonomy over blindly following a leader. They spoke of how Dumbledore's influence within the Ministry and Hogwarts allowed him to manipulate events behind the scenes. They admired his power, but they did not trust him.
Through his reading of both Muggle and magical history, Alaric had come to see Dumbledore as a complex figure. He admired the headmaster's intelligence and his ability to navigate the dangerous political landscape, but he was wary of his methods. In his past life, Alaric had read stories of powerful leaders who claimed to act in the best interest of the people but ended up perpetuating cycles of control and manipulation. Dumbledore, in many ways, fit this pattern.
To Alaric, Dumbledore represented a type of power that was not inherently dark but was dangerously unchecked. While the headmaster spoke of peace and harmony, Alaric saw the potential for harm in his decisions. After all, he knew that Dumbledore had sent Harry Potter to live with the Dursleys, a family who treated him with disdain. He questioned whether such decisions were truly in the best interest of the boy or part of a larger, more calculated plan.
Still, Alaric knew he could not dismiss Dumbledore entirely. The man was a key player in the unfolding events of the magical world, and his influence would continue to shape it in ways Alaric had yet to fully understand. The time would come when Alaric would need to make his own decisions about Dumbledore's "greater good," and he was determined to do so with his eyes open.
As the days until his admission to Hogwarts grew shorter, Alaric felt the weight of the choices ahead. The world he lived in was far more complicated than he had imagined, and Dumbledore was just one part of the larger, interconnected web of forces at play. The headmaster's role in the coming conflict was certain, but Alaric's own path was still being written.
For now, he would observe, learn, and prepare—because, just like Dumbledore, Alaric had a plan of his own.