Dumbledore's Self-Examination!

"Veritaserum is inhumane, and against the rules..." Dumbledore instinctively tried to defend himself, hoping to salvage his image in Harry and Dudley's eyes.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them and quickly fell silent.

He had never been someone who strictly followed the rules. Using them as a shield would only backfire, proving to Harry and Dudley that he was still narrow-minded and had learned nothing.

"I was wrong! Terribly wrong—I was wrong from the very beginning!"

Dumbledore spoke heavily, yet after saying those words, it was as though he had cast off a burden and finally felt relieved.

"Dudley, Harry! Perhaps I was never someone capable of making the right arrangements. Mistakes have followed me throughout my life.

When I was young, blinded by reckless love, I hurt my family, helped someone I should never have helped, and brought about the first Dark Lord.

When I was somewhat older, I used improper methods to bring Voldemort into the Wizarding World, allowing a monster who scorned life and could never understand love to learn powerful magic and become the second Dark Lord.

I personally imprisoned the first Dark Lord, gaining unnecessary fame and admiration as a result. It made me even more self-righteous and shackled my beliefs.

I wanted to make up for my mistakes. I wanted to destroy Voldemort, the second Dark Lord, and restore peace to the Wizarding World.

That thought consumed me. It drove me mad, made me obsessive, made me overlook details, made me speak lightly of sacrifice. It led me from one defeat to another, until I retreated into a corner, doubted myself, and instead placed my faith in prophecy, hoping to shift responsibility onto Harry.

I no longer resembled myself—or perhaps I had never truly found myself at all!"

Under Dudley's relentless questioning and provocation, Dumbledore completely lowered his guard. He examined most of his life from an extreme angle and delivered a heartfelt monologue.

Harry's eyes burned brightly, deeply moved.

Dudley, too, showed sincere admiration and nodded repeatedly.

"At a certain age, one's understanding and way of thinking become fixed. It becomes difficult to accept new ideas and new things. I have to admit it, Mr. Dumbledore—you are an extraordinary man.

Even at more than a hundred years old, you still had the courage to overturn your own past and transform into someone new.

For that alone, you are a great man. This is the first time I have sincerely used that word in its truest sense to describe you!"

Dudley's approval slightly soothed the intense emotional turmoil Dumbledore could barely suppress after his self-examination.

"Harry, Dudley, have you forgiven me?" Dumbledore asked through tearful eyes.

"The truth is more or less clear now. To be fair, Lily and James's deaths cannot be blamed on you.

They joined your side and stood against Voldemort based on their own beliefs and understanding.

After the Fidelius Charm was put in place, they also refused your goodwill in offering to be their Secret Keeper. Based on their own judgment, they entrusted their family's lives to Sirius.

Whether Sirius truly defected to Voldemort and leaked the secret, or arrogantly handed the role of Secret Keeper to Pettigrew and thereby indirectly leaked it, it only proved that they had trusted the wrong person.

Lily and James were adults. They should have borne the consequences of their own decisions.

Therefore, I believe that in this matter, Mr. Dumbledore was not at fault. At most, an accident prevented you from fulfilling your promise to Snape, the spy. This has nothing to do with whether Harry and I forgive you."

Dudley stated his opinion fairly, then turned to Harry. Harry nodded in agreement as well.

Kind-hearted Harry was naturally not an unreasonable person.

"It is wonderful that you can think that way..." Dumbledore gained a measure of comfort, but Dudley unexpectedly began with praise before delivering another blow.

Just as Dumbledore began to feel slightly pleased, Dudley interrupted him again.

"What you truly need to seek our forgiveness for is what happened after that tragedy, Mr. Dumbledore!

Lily and James willingly followed you in fighting Voldemort. While they were alive, that was their own choice. There is nothing to say about that.

But after they sacrificed themselves, as their leader, you should have given Harry, my mother Petunia, and even me—our family—a proper explanation and compensation.

Yet after it happened, you neither investigated the full truth nor met with my parents face-to-face to explain matters clearly and express your condolences.

After Harry suffered the agony of losing both parents while still in swaddling clothes, you had Hagrid carry him through the air on a flying motorbike for most of the night. Then you left him to endure the cold wind for several hours on the steps outside our home, with only a thin letter explaining the situation.

You were not even willing to knock on our door and make sure my parents noticed him before leaving. You should be grateful that Privet Drive was fairly safe at night, and grateful that my mother had a habit of getting up early to collect the milk from the doorstep.

If Harry had been taken away by traffickers back then, I cannot imagine what kind of human tragedy that would have been.

And regarding the letter you left behind, I have read it. There was very little apology between the lines. You emphasized the necessity of my parents adopting Harry, and your wording even carried a hint of threat. It was completely unworthy of a proper explanation to the family of victims.

My parents treat me well, but there is no denying that they are not kind people. My mother Petunia and Aunt Lily had conflicts since childhood because of their magical talent, while my father Vernon is a Muggle who hates wizards to an extreme degree.

You should have known all that, shouldn't you, Mr. Dumbledore?"

"I knew, but..." Dumbledore looked embarrassed.

"But what? Despite knowing all of that, you still threw Harry to them without any preparation, without giving them the slightest understanding.

Because the Mother's Love Protection magic on Harry could only remain effective for a long time if he lived with blood relatives in a place he could call home.

Because the mindless wizards of the Wizarding World revered Harry as the Chosen One, and you did not want him to grow up surrounded by flattery and have his personality warped as a result.

Is that what you wanted to say?"

The resentment in Dudley's heart had nearly dissipated because of Dumbledore's sincere self-examination, but when he spoke of his parents and Harry's childhood, anger surged up again despite himself.

"That was indeed what I thought, but I failed to consider the details. Later, I will sincerely apologize to the Dursleys." Dumbledore hurriedly admitted his mistake. He could see that Dudley's anger was beginning to build again.

"You failed to consider the details?" Dudley gave a scornful laugh. "Mr. Dumbledore, I believe there may have been other matters you did not think through completely, but this one? You absolutely considered it crystal clear!

You knew my parents' personalities and conduct, yet you still insisted that they raise Harry.

Wasn't it because you wanted Harry to experience a childhood of exclusion and suppression, then bring him into Hogwarts when he turned eleven—this year, at this very time?

Then you would appear before Harry as a gentle, mysterious elder and easily win the affection of an orphan starved of love since childhood. That would allow you to arrange Harry's future growth more smoothly, until, just as the prophecy said, Harry became a sharp sword against Voldemort?"