clearing Sirius/ Dumbledore's gleam

[jklb66]

No: HPFGUIDX 36246

Nyarth wrote:
> If Dumbledore's word carried enough weight to get Snape cleared, 
> couldn't he now testify to clear Black's name too?  Admittedly, we 
> don't know what other evidence was raised at Snape's trial, but a 
> large number of witnesses (Lupin, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, 
> even Snape, if someone held a gun to his head) could testify they 
saw 
> Pettigrew alive, and that he was an animagus.  

Dumbledore was able to testify for Snape because he WITNESSED Snape 
acting as a spy against Voldemort.  Dumbledore can't testify for 
Sirius because he doesn't have any first hand knowledge of Sirius's 
innocence.  All he could say is, "Sirius told me he is innocent, and 
I believed him."  Snape can't testify for Sirius because he was 
unconcious for everything crucial in the Shreiking Shack.  As for the 
others, Dumbledore says:

"There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your 
word-- and the word of two [or three] thirteen-year-old wizards will 
not convince anybody....I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted 
by most of our kind that his support will count for very little-- and 
the fact that he and Sirius are old friends--"
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I know that the gleam in Dumbledore's eye in GoF has been discussed 
to death, but I have to put in my 2 knuts.  The part that always gets 
to me is what follows the gleam.

"For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something 
like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes.  But the next second, Harry was 
sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat 
behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen 
him."

The triumphant look is followed almost instantly by weariness.  When 
I put the two together, I get the very uncomfortable feeling that 
Voldemort has indeed given himself a fatal flaw; that Harry's death 
will cause/allow Voldemort's.  Dumbledore has a brief, "Gotcha!" 
moment followed by crushing weight of the knowledge that a boy he has 
come to love may die.

I once saw a movie (I can't remember the title) in which Sean Connery 
was the voice of a dragon.  Early in the movie, a dying character is 
saved by the "transplant" of a dragon heartstring into the wounded 
character's heart.  Later, the character becomes evil and seems to be 
impossible to kill.  The dragon reveals to the hero that the evil 
character can't be killed as long as the "donor" dragon, himself, 
lives.  The dragon then decides that he is willing to die in order to 
stop the evil character and save innocent lives.

If there is a parallel to Voldemort and Harry here, I can forgive 
Dumbledore his brief look of triumph.  He has witnessed first hand 
the destruction that Voldemort and his followers left in their wake. 
I forgive his brief gleam because it IS followed by the weary look.  
I'm certain that Albus cried himself to sleep that night.
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While we are on the subject of "Poor Harry," I think one of the 
saddest lines in the books is in ch.2 of GoF,  "What he really wanted 
(and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like-
- someone like a parent..."  Ashamed of himself for wanting a 
parent?  Poor kid.

-Jennifer