It may leave us all vulnerable, when the time comes," Snape added, since it was clear the headmaster was missing his point entirely.
"Tom is not strong enough to return at this time, not fully," Dumbledore assured him.
"But when he does… surely you understand that I can not return to my previous position?" the potions master began. "Lucius and the others…"
Dumbledore held up his hand. "I am well aware, Severus, that your status as spy is no longer tenable. You yourself must have given that some thought, before you took the boy on?"
Severus Snape said nothing because, truth be told, when he had found Harry unconscious and clutching the Philosopher's Stone, nothing else had mattered.
Only that Harry was alright.
Seeing that he was not going to get a response, the headmaster continued.
"It is reassuring to me that you are thinking of such things. It means, perhaps, that you are not quite ready to give up on the boy just yet."
"I am giving up on nothing," Snape growled. "But if the chamber is truly open…"
"I have no doubt that it is the case, Severus. But I am confident that as events unfold, the way forward will become clear," Dumbledore told him. "In the meantime, keep Harry close."
"If we are to allow events to 'unfold', as you put it, I rather think it would be better for all if I was to distance myself from the boy," Snape said – he certainly didn't want a repeat of last year, and if something darker was at play within the castle, he didn't want Harry anywhere near it.
"That is your choice to make," the headmaster nodded, though something in his voice told Severus he didn't agree, and it irritated him no end. "Though some might say that at a time like this, Harry will need his father more than ever."