The Squib and the Werewolf

79. My Son

Raya, Remus and Jamie headed to the Potter Manor the following morning, once they were discharged from St Mungo's.
Raya was dreading returning home without Sirius, but she knew she had no choice, as she had to be strong for her son.
When she arrived home, she saw an unwelcome figure waiting for her on the doorstep.
"Dumbledore, what are you doing here?" Questioned Remus.
"I wanted to talk to you both, regarding the events of the past few days" answered Dumbledore.
"That's interesting, because there are several things that I wish to say to you, Dumbledore... Remus, take Jamie inside" instructed Raya.
"Don't do anything stupid" hissed Remus, before passing Dumbledore and heading into the house, with Jamie in one arm.

"Wouldn't you prefer it if we also spoke inside, since it is rather cold out here?" Asked Dumbledore.
"I would. But I don't want you inside my house, or anywhere near my son" replied Raya coldly.
Dumbledore frowned, "What have I done to upset you?".
"How long have you got?" Sneered Raya.
"It was not I who killed the Potters, so I don't see why you are so angry with me. I understand that finding out your husband is a traitor is upsetting, but there is no need to take your frustration out on those around you".

"Do not talk about things you do not know! It was your job to keep us all safe, Dumbledore! We put our trust in you, and you let us down. You failed to protect so many people, who fought in your name. Yet, the rest of the world still calls you a hero, despite your many failings" spat Raya.
"I tried my best to protect the Order, but how was I to know that there was a spy among you?" Questioned Dumbledore.

"Because you are the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore, you are supposed to know all, aren't you? That is why your word matters more than anyone elses" snapped Raya.
"Where are you going with this?" Frowned Dumbledore.
"My husband was not the traitor! We changed the secret keeper behind your back, and if you had let me explain that, before selling us out, then my husband wouldn't be sitting in a cell right now, on his birthday. But no, you told the Ministry what you believed to be true, before talking to me first. So, what I told Crouch was dismissed, because I'm not as believable as the famous Albus Dumbledore".

"Barty asked me who the secret keeper was, and I told him it was Sirius Black. How was I to know that you changed it, behind my back?" Asked Dumbledore.
"You could have spoken to me, before opening your big fat mouth. You know that everyone looks to you for guidance, so you should have taken a moment to assess the facts and look at the evidence, before telling them what you believed to be right. I also happen to know that you sold us out. You told Crouch that we were in the Order. You were supposed to keep that a secret, as we didn't fight alongside the Ministry. But you turned your back on us, the moment we became irrelevant. Once Voldemort was pronounced dead, you had no more use for your Order of the Phoenix, so you discarded us, putting all our lives on the line" replied Raya.

"That is not true. I care dearly about the members of the Order. But when Barty asked if you were in the Order, I couldn't lie to him" said Dumbledore.
"Why not? We all know you don't agree with the things the Ministry does. Lying to them to protect your own people, doesn't seem unreasonable. We had to put our trust in you when we joined the Order, and we assumed you would protect our identities. But we were wrong. You betrayed us!" Shouted Raya.
"I did not betray anyone. It was your secret keeper who told Voldemort the location of the Potters, not I" reminded Dumbledore.
"Maybe if you had placed better protective magic around them, we wouldn't have needed to rely on a secret keeper".

"Look, what's done is done. We cannot change the past, we must now look to the future" announced Dumbledore.
"Oh, and we are supposed to forgive you, just like that? You want us to bow down at your feet once more, and respect you like a god? Because I hate to break it to you, but that won't happen. You let my friends die. You watched and said nothing as my husband was dragged from court, causing me to go into early labour. You call the shots, while sitting safely in your tower at Hogwarts. It was me and my friends who scurried in dark alleyways, fighting death eaters, not you. If you had stopped being a coward and taken Voldemort on, you could have stopped him years ago. You could have saved so many innocent lives if you had just stood up to him!" Replied Raya.