"Do you know Lily and James's epitaph?" Albus said.
"Of course," Minerva replied. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
"I doubt a child could understand what that means. Could someone cover it with flowers?" Albus said.
"There's no need. The flowers left in mourning for the Potters have already buried the grave," Minerva said.
"The Wizengamot once debated what epitaph to leave the Potters. 'Love is patient' received more votes, but when we visited the site, there were too many epitaphs saying 'Love you forever.' Pain has such great power that it can make life worse than death. You must understand that mankind's greatest desire is to escape death. Pain has such great power that it can turn people into murderers, conquering courage until they can no longer protect those whom virtue ought to govern and care for. From the perspective of eternity, fleeing from it is undoubtedly unfortunate," Albus said. "But we need rest, like the brief respite between the two great wars that we are experiencing now."
"I understand... That's why I didn't insist on bringing Harry back," Minerva said.
"Sometimes, we need to be kind to ourselves, especially when he is only a child," Albus said. "There are things death cannot touch: memory, paint, and love."
Pomona was somewhat puzzled.
"We need that child to be full of love," Albus said. "It was Lily's love that left behind an everlasting protective charm, though the person who loved him had already died. So I believe love will be the weapon that defeats the Dark Lord in the future."
"I understand, Headmaster," Minerva said.
"I will say these things only once. You may go," Albus said with a wave of his hand.
Pomona and Minerva left together. Only after they had reached a place where he