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Chapter 8 — Guilt and the Holy Father
"Professor… I've finished packing!"
Darren lifted the hem of his shabby clothes, still smiling brightly — pretending not to notice that both Snape and Dumbledore frowned at the same time.
Didn't expect that, did you?
The youngest son of Lily and James Potter, brother of the famous Harry Potter — and he only owned two sets of clothes.
He could practically guess what the two men were thinking right now.
But he wasn't about to comfort them. Why should he? They were the reason he'd been miserable for so long.
> "Severus," Dumbledore said softly, "I think this child may need a few basic supplies — clothes, food… Oh, lovely little Darren, I hope you'll accept a belated gift from an old man who feels nothing but guilt for not finding you sooner."
Before Darren could even strike his usual "forgiving saint" pose, Dumbledore cut him off.
Darren rolled his eyes internally.
He hadn't been planning to pay for the clothes himself, of course — but it was still a prime opportunity to earn some "Holy Father" points!
Well, fine. He could still make this work.
He looked up, head tilted, and spoke gently:
> "Mr. Dumbledore, Professor Snape… I understand. You feel guilty for not finding me all these years, and you want to make up for it.
I forgive you. Really. You don't owe me anything.
But… if it makes you feel better, maybe you could just find me a place to stay for now. That would be more than enough."
[Ding! Holy Father Value +100]
Perfect.
With that, his total Holy Father Value was now in the hundreds. He still wasn't sure what else he could use it for besides manipulating obscurus, but hey — it couldn't hurt to stockpile.
And there were still Dumbledore and Snape standing there, drowning in guilt. If he played this right, he could squeeze out another few dozen points.
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The boy's eyes were so calm, so kind. None of what he said seemed forced.
He truly wanted to ease their hearts — and even accepted their guilt with gentle understanding.
That made both men feel worse.
They were supposed to be the ones offering comfort, not receiving it.
James and Lily had died to protect the wizarding world — and yet their surviving child had grown up beaten, starved, and abandoned.
A boy who should've lived a normal, happy life had instead endured hunger and bullying.
And now that same child was comforting them.
The difference between this boy and Voldemort could not have been starker.
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Dumbledore removed his half-moon spectacles and wiped his eyes before sighing deeply.
> "Child, please… accept our help. Think of it as an old man's most sincere request.
As for where you'll stay, you'll live at Hogwarts for the time being. I think Harry will need a little time to adjust to your presence."
Darren smiled warmly.
> "Of course, Professor Dumbledore. If Professor Snape agrees, I'll gladly accept your gift — even if I feel I'm taking advantage. But… if it helps you feel at ease, then I'll accept it."
[Ding! Holy Father Value +50]
Hmm. Only fifty this time. Not bad, but not great either.
Still, points were points.
He doubted Dumbledore's reason about "Harry needing time." The old man was clearly just cautious — wanting to observe him before dumping another potential "problem" on the Boy Who Lived.
And, knowing Dumbledore, he probably also had to go smooth things over with Petunia. Darren couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him; convincing Petunia and Vernon Dursley of anything would be a nightmare.
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Dumbledore's smile returned, gentle and knowing.
> "Severus will take you to buy a few things. He's not good with words, but I'm sure he'll be glad to get you something useful."
At that, Darren glanced over at Snape.
Snape's face stayed perfectly blank, his eyes hollow. When Darren's gaze met his, the man only snorted softly — so quiet that Darren almost missed it.
If he didn't know better, he might've thought Snape was humming.
> "Well," Snape said coldly, "if you're done, it's time to leave.
By the way — your friend with possible troll ancestry is over there."
His tone sharpened on the word friend, and he jerked his chin toward the far side of the courtyard.
Darren followed his gaze and saw Kenley standing with a few other children, peeking around a corner and sneaking glances at them.
Judging from their blank, calm expressions, they'd all been hit with Snape's memory charm earlier — complete amnesia.
Darren remembered the way Snape had practically growled the incantation for Obliviate, and he couldn't help but mourn for them for half a second.
Then the realization sank in — he was really leaving.
He'd been planning to stay a bit longer, maybe rack up a few more points by "forgiving" Kenley again. But plans changed.
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> "Go on, child," Dumbledore said kindly. "Say goodbye to your friends."
Darren shook his head, sighing softly.
> "No… after what happened, they're probably terrified of me. I'd rather not scare them again."
Of course, he didn't "know" they'd had their memories erased — so that worry sounded perfectly reasonable.
[Ding! Holy Father Value +50]
Another solid gain.
He gave one last glance toward Kenley and the others, then looked away. That chapter of the original Darren's life was closed. There was no point in reopening it.
Snape clearly agreed. He made no effort to explain, just stepped forward, gripped Darren's shoulder firmly, and said in his usual cold tone:
> "Hold on to me."
A sharp crack! — and they were gone.
Snape was done with this place. Done with Kenley. Done with all of it.
He'd had enough of seeing this boy forgive people who didn't deserve it.
And for the first time that day, as they vanished from the orphanage courtyard, Snape actually felt… relieved.
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