"You are worried, Severus."
Dumbledore was clad in purple robes, a hem embroidered with stars.
Snape shot him a cold glance but remained silent.
"You should not have taught him those."
Dumbledore spoke slowly once more.
"It is not your place to dictate my actions in this matter, Dumbledore."
Snape sneered.
"I know, but you should trust me."
Dumbledore seemed to compromise.
"Trust you? Dumbledore, when have you ever trusted me?"
Snape coldly discarded his anger.
"Always."
Dumbledore answered as if no thought was required.
"Always? Heh... And yet I remain in the dark... The Dark Lord's power has waned; he will sense it. When he realizes all of this, do you know what means he possesses? That fool has no Mark, no magical protection upon him—are you planning to get him killed?!"
Snape questioned furiously, staring at Dumbledore as if looking at a thief or a bandit.
"He will return. I have never denied that. But Hogwarts will always be the safest place."
Dumbledore's words carried a calm confidence.
"Heh..."
Snape scoffed.
"You still do not trust me, nor do you trust anyone. But I trust you. We all trust you, Severus."
Dumbledore sighed.
"You refuse to tell me anything, yet you expect me to trust you. Dumbledore, do not take everything for granted."
Snape said viciously.
"The crux of the matter is not that I do not trust you, Severus. We all have things we should know, and things we need not—even cannot—know," Dumbledore said.
"Do you believe you should know everything? Or that he should know everything? If you think so, then you should agree with what I am doing now."
Snape spoke with contempt.
"No, I have never believed I know everything. Most of the time, I know nothing and am good for nothing.
"But you crossed a line, Severus. That is not something he should be exposed to."
Dumbledore lowered his eyes.
"You want him to touch the most dangerous things, you want him to deal with the most dangerous people, yet you will not teach him, you won't even tell him...
"Do you want me to watch him die! Dumbledore!"
Snape roared in anger.
"He is only twelve years old—Dumbledore—must his life be added to your plans—"
Dumbledore fell silent, unable to refute him.
The cold wind of the dungeon blew incessantly. Outside the window, the sky was changing rapidly, shifting from velvety dark blue to a gloomy gray.
It was raining in Scotland.
It was always raining here.
"Severus... this is not my decision to make."
Dumbledore spoke slowly.
"Then I will decide. I will teach him all I know. I will keep him at Hogwarts as much as possible. And when he must face something, I want him to be able to fight back as best he can."
Snape said, his voice hoarse.
"To fight back... that is our task, Severus. Not his. Do you not understand?
"Our expectations, the mission we must complete, have nothing to do with him."
Dumbledore sounded as if he were offering counsel.
"What do you mean?"
"You should not teach him such knowledge. He does not need that kind of power."
"Do you think he is the next Dumbledore?"
"No. He is the one and only Sean Green. He will be stronger than me, stronger than all of us... He needs no one to guide him; he will find the path himself. All we must do is wait. If possible, we pass our knowledge to him to save him some time, not presume to help him walk.
"Severus, you have crossed the line. Your child does not need you to lead the way."
Dumbledore fell silent again after speaking. He gazed at the window, where droplets were coalescing into a trail of water.
"You expect too much of him."
Snape suddenly understood.
But the word "child" seemed like a murmur too low to hear, placing a veil of painful mist before his eyes. Dumbledore's words seemed to take a long time to reach his ears.
"On the contrary, I constantly wonder if I am still underestimating the boy."
Dumbledore sighed.
"You mean..."
Snape realized something.
"Let him choose for himself. If he wants to learn something, let him learn.
"Most wizards are taught what magic to study, but he needs to choose for himself, for his path is longer than ours. No one can help."
As Dumbledore spoke, the fireplace had gone out unnoticed.
The scent of the last embers lingered in the air, mingling with the dampness of the dungeon.
"I have one last question..."
Snape was finally persuaded. He desperately wanted "him" to have the power to protect himself, but in Dumbledore's eyes, this power was apparently unworthy of the high table.
"If that is what you think, why have you always kept him by your side?"
Snape stared coldly at Dumbledore, as if searching the wrinkles around the old wizard's eyes for any trace of a lie.
But to his utter surprise, there was no lie there, only an awkwardness that was being suppressed.
"I never intended to do so. If I could, I would wish, just as you do, that these matters never touched a single hair on his head.
"Severus, tell me. If time could solve all our problems, would we still need to take risks?"
Dumbledore confessed with a rare hint of embarrassment.
Snape was completely convinced, but also completely furious.
"My feelings are the same as yours, Severus. I am both pleased by the problems solved and worried about future accidents.
"I do not oppose everything you have done. I signed that detention notice. I thought you would understand me."
Dumbledore looked quite sad.
"Sean Green..."
Snape almost gritted his teeth.
He had thought Dumbledore was steering the ship, but the little boat was sailing itself. He had always known this, but never had he been as agitated as he was now.
"Do not damage the boy's soul. Do not test him, even if he can withstand the test."
Dumbledore prepared to leave. Before he did, a kindly smile hung on the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, and don't forget to fill in the justification, Severus. Give the Board of Governors a reason to support a summer detention."
"Hmph—"
Snape let out a cold snort.
He placed a piece of parchment on the table. Words like "Potions Assistant" and "Summer Training" were faintly visible.
These words naturally reminded Snape of the Care of Magical Creatures class next semester, and he felt a flash of annoyance that he couldn't schedule the two classes to clash.
"Oh, a fine idea. I imagine Hagrid had nothing to do with this."
Dumbledore picked up the parchment with a tease.