CONSEQUENCE The boy who survived

Chapter 35- Rescuing Bellatrix

"Mr Potter" Dumbledore said as he and the auror arrived in Grimmauld place to find that Consequence had changed back into Harry Potter

"Yeah?" Harry asked

"You were amazing!" James blurted out

"I know!" Sirius exclaimed "Ten trolls with his bare hands!"

"It was incredible cub!" Remus added

"You were brilliant Harry" Lily hugged her son and kissed him on the forehead.

"Thanks mum" Harry said, he wasn't remotely embarrassed by the fact that his mother was hugging him in front of everyone else. This was his mother, and she had been in a coma for years, if she wanted to hug then he would not deny her. If anyone had a problem with it then he would shove theirs heads straight up...

"Excuse me" Dumbledore interrupted the hug and Harry's train of thought "Mr Potter, we need to discuss your actions. While your quick work with the trolls have greatly impressed us all, you took a man's life today"

"I'm sorry, do you expect me to care?" Harry asked

"You don't care?!" Dumbledore blurted out in shock "You killed a man!"

"I killed an asshole, unfortunately he happened to be a man as well" Harry responded "besides, I don't see what the big deal is. Between guilty adult man and innocent child girl, I chose to save the girl"

"And I applaud you for that but can't you see it was wrong to take that man's life?"

"No, he had a wand at the girls throat"

"True he may have committed horrible acts but that does not mean that he was beyond redemption"

"Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but forgive me if I don't think that his redemption is worth the risk of that girl's life. I took him out quick and easy because I didn't think that trying to redeem a man who was holding a girl hostage after attacking a village is more important than saving the life of someone who could grow up and become a loving housewife, auror, teacher, healer or maybe even the future minister of magic. Maybe even a good minister of magic. Merlin knows we don't get many of them"

"True" Sirius and many of the order members agreed

"Why should we cost that girl the chance to live that life so a man could try and change his life around?" Harry continued "It's a time of war. Neutralise or get rid of the enemy before they do the same to you"

"Mr Potter, you yourself have stolen and killed many times before, surely you of all people can understand the values of redemption" Dumbledore argued

"Yeah but it may have escaped your notice that I never wanted redemption because I never did anything I felt was worth redeeming" Harry argued back "and on the occasion that I did do something that could be argued as wrong, I did it knowing the consequences of doing so. I stole to eat, I killed to protect and survive. Those death eaters kill because they think muggles and muggleborns are beneath them.

Do not compare a starving kid on the street stealing a watch to people who torture others for their very existence. Not everyone can be redeemed Dumbledore"

"Everyone is redeemable"

"Everyone?" Harry let out a short laugh "Like Lucius Malfoy. Bully at school, death eater as soon as he was out, avoided punishment by bribing the minister, passed and supported several laws to make things worse for werewolves and muggleborns and jumped right back in as soon as Voldemort returned. Or better yet, how about Tom Riddle? AKA Voldemort.

You want to try and redeem him? The dark lord responsible for hundreds and hundreds of crimes, both directly and indirectly? The man who framed Hagrid for opening the chamber of secrets? The man who started the wizarding war that killed hundreds of people? That man? Oh, let me guess, in your mind he's probably just a little boy who needs a hug and then he'll be as right as rainbows"