Bloodline Choice

"It's not just you, many people, including Harry, have asked me this," Dumbledore low voice, "Why was Harry, a wizard, fostered in the Muggle world? Why did I insist on letting him continue living with that family, even though Harry was unhappy there and there were suspicions of abuse?"

"I don't deny it," Dumbledore paused before slowly beginning, "When I left Harry on his aunt's doorstep, I knew the boy would suffer. I knew I was sentencing him to ten years of darkness and hardship... but my first priority was to ensure his survival."

"For reasons I cannot clearly explain, the Dark Lord was defeated... Rumors say he is dead, vanished, but I have never believed it. I firmly believe he will one day return..." Dumbledore continued, "And his remaining followers are still causing trouble everywhere, the tragedy of the Longbottoms being one of them. I had to place Harry in what I considered the safest place... The family Harry is staying with may not provide him with warmth, but they are adequate in providing basic sustenance."

Jeffrey couldn't help but sneer, saying, "The henchmen you're talking about, are you referring to the Lestrange? Just the few of them?" Jeffrey's eyes were full of mockery. "Aren't you underestimating the Potter Family?"

"I don't mean to belittle anyone," Dumbledore said in a deep voice. "At that time, the Britain wizarding world was just recovering from chaos, and placing him in Muggle family isolated from the wizarding world was, in my opinion, the best choice... Moreover, I believe it was beneficial to Harry's development..."

"As a Savior who saved the world before he could even speak—all that awaits him is flattery, praise, and sycophancy, enough to make any child dizzy," Dumbledore said firmly. "I think it would be better to let him grow up far from the past, until he can accept all of this, before letting him know."

"Tsk, you make it sound so nice..." Jeffrey continued, "Is this your reason for abandoning a baby who doesn't know how to resist you to Muggle, thus depriving him of family affection? And what makes you think that the Potter Family is incapable of raising him properly and guiding him onto the right path?"

Dumbledore. He truly hadn't expected to encounter such a sharp-tongued junior. However, while he might not have handled the Harry matter perfectly, he had a clear conscience—from beginning to end, he firmly believed in the Prophecy —that the Dark Lord would rise again, and that Harry was the key to ending everything. Therefore, Harry's character development could not tolerate the slightest mistake—he would absolutely not allow any variables to slip out of his control!

"Indeed... but there's one last reason, and the most important one..." Dumbledore said, "The real key to Harry's ability to defeat the Dark Lord as an infant was that his mother chose to die at the Dark Lord's hands to protect him, which was enough to activate an ancient spell, 'Sacrificial Protection'..."

Jeffrey frowned. Although there were many different theories about how Harry defeated the most powerful dark wizard in history, as a long-established Pure-blood families, they had long since reached a conclusion on all possibilities— Dumbledore's explanation was indeed the most likely. This time, he did not refute it but chose to wait for Dumbledore to continue.

"You must admit, though it might sound arrogant, my magical power is probably among the strongest in the world, isn't it?" Dumbledore glanced around at the group, and seeing no one inclined to speak, continued, "However, even I am not immune to oversights and mistakes, but magic is different..."

"Now that we know the power the Dark Lord fears is actually a legacy from Harry's mother, the only way to retain this power is to find the caster's blood relative— Lily's only surviving family member, and her older sister Petunia Dursley is the only candidate..."

"While the Potter Family is also Harry's family, they don't meet the above conditions in this respect..." Dumbledore patiently explained, "This is because the caster was Lily, not James, which means it had to be a blood relative of Lily, not a blood relative of Harry's paternal line."

"By placing Harry in her home, I could use our blood ties to activate the Blood Pact magic, allowing the 'Sacrificial Protection' to continue through Harry's aunt..." Dumbledore said. "Fortunately, I made the right gamble. Petunia was extremely reluctant, but she ultimately chose to take Harry in, and the Blood Pact I cast was established. From then on, no evil force can harm Harry..."

Dumbledore didn't say was that he had long been certain Petunia would take Harry in, because she wasn't as averse to magic as she appeared; she was simply jealous of her magically gifted sister.

Years of accumulated jealousy, coupled with the influence of her rigid husband, had indeed instilled in her a hatred for the wizarding world. However, deep down, she still retained a sliver of longing for it, and taking in Harry was her last chance to maintain a connection with the wizarding world.

"I can assure you, this is absolutely the best course of action I can think of, and the greatest guarantee of the child's safety—" Dumbledore said. "This Ancient Magic is far more powerful than mine; under its protection, any wizard with ill intentions toward Harry will not even be able to find where he lives."

This time, Jeffrey remained silent. Instead, Charles spoke up, saying, "Albus, we've known each other for many years, and I trust your character. Let's leave Harry's matter at that... However, this time, since you've used the 'Phoenix Summoning Order' —which you didn't even use during the First Wizarding War —it's clear that the situation this time is far more serious than it was then..."

"You mean..." Dumbledore said hesitantly.

"Friendship aside," Charles said, "Tell me, this old man of mine has gone to great lengths to respond to your call, and that's fine for myself—but shouldn't I be compensated for the family resources I might need to use? That way, I can at least give the family something to show for it."

A sharp glint flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, and he said coldly, "You want Harry's Invisibility Cloak? That's James's legacy; I have no right to make that decision for him!"

Charles and his two sons exchanged a glance, and after a long pause, Charles said, "Albus, you should think this over carefully—after all, our family possesses information you desperately need— the Dark Lord, the Shadow of the Magic Dragon, and the mysterious Knights of Walpurgis!"