Decreta Conciliorum Non Ligant Reges Nostros

Prologue

Voices. Voices haunted Albus Dumbledore as he sat in his chamber, head resting on his hands.

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy..."

Lord Voldemort. Tom Marvolo Riddle. He had understood what the boy meant to him...may be not fully, for he was incapable of love...but enough to know that the boy was his weakness...

"You don't understand! People don't like being shut up! You shut me up all summer!"

Harry. Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. The Hero. His boy. He was very proud of Harry. He had never come closer to loving someone as his own son...

"You can't do this, Albus. They are the worst sort of Muggles I have ever seen!"

Minerva McGonagall. What did she understand of the pain he felt doing that? But the boy had to be protected...even if it meant being treated as a house-elf...

"He didn't do it, Professor! He couldn't have!"

Hagrid. Dear loyal Rubeus Hagrid. How he loved the boy...he was the only person for whom Hagrid had ever argued with Dumbledore...

"Professor Dumbledore! It's Harry - he - he has gone to -"

Ronald Weasley. Harry's best friend. He certainly cared for the boy, but he was also jealous...

"Headmaster, you are too lenient with the boy...he is getting a big head like his father."

Severus Snape. His Dark Angel. Dumbledore sighed heavily. He had never understood why Severus insisted on taking out James Potter's hatred on the boy...

"You have to get him out of there, Albus - he hates that place. And his relatives hate him. They treat him disgracefully. I've seen them..."

Arthur Weasley. Obsessed with Muggles...if he said a word against a Muggle, it had to be a very bad case...Dumbledore knew exactly how the Dursleys treated his boy...

"You can't keep him there! He deserves to know what is going on!"

Sirius Black. Dead. Harry's Godfather. The closest thing to a parent that Harry had ever known...the only adult Harry had really loved...whose death had made him angry enough to attempt a Cruciatus...

"Albus, he's delicate...he can't take all of this..."

Poppy Pomfrey. She, too, was fond of the boy. What was it about the boy that made everyone love him so?

"Professor! Harry Potter is a Parselmouth!"

Gilderoy Lockhart. A phony and an idiot. He still regretted the moment he had hired that man to teach...

"He is very noble, Professor Dumbledore...more than James ever was..."

Remus Lupin. Werewolf. He loved the boy, too...he was proud of the boy, too...if only he hadn't been a werewolf...

"You might want to check out your precious boy's hand..."

Dolores Umbridge. How he had wanted to kill her when she had gloated about the injury she had given his boy...

"He's mad, Dumbledore. He's making it all up!"

Cornelius Fudge. The most incompetent Minister they had ever had. He had barely controlled himself from hexing the airbag when he had accused his Harry...

"Let him come with me, Dumbledore, please...the Burrow is well warded..."

Molly Weasley. She loved the boy as one of her own brood...

"The boy should have been in Slytherin."

The Sorting Hat. Never failed to remind him that. What did the torn piece of cloth know about his precious boy?

"Look after my boy if something happens to us, Albus...give him my cloak..."

James Potter. He had failed to look after the boy properly, but at least he had given him his father's cloak...

"You must help Sirius and Remus look after Harry if we die, Professor...he's a bit irresponsible...don't let him suffer due to the lack of his parents..."

Lily Potter nee Evans. He had failed to live up to her expectations...Harry had suffered...suffered more than anyone ever should...

"He got the brother wand Dumbledore...I'm afraid what it might mean..."

Ollivander. He was afraid of Harry's power...

"I am afraid he might be depressed, Professor..."

Hermione Granger. Harry's other best friend. The smartest witch at Hogwarts. Was it his imagination or did she care about Harry more than as a friend? It seemed to be so...

"He is resistant to Imperius, Dumbledore."

Barty Crouch Jr. in the guise of Alastor Moody. How pleased he had been when the Defence teacher had informed him...he had been so proud...

"'E eez a verry powerful wizard, Dumbly-dorr, zis boy of yours."

Madame Olympe Maxime was a very perceptive witch...she had realised the boy's capacity...

"The young one has great potential, Dumbledore, but he needs to be loved. He is too alone."

Firenze. The outcast Centaur. Even he had a soft spot for the boy. He had gone out of his way several times to help Harry...

Dumbledore sighed. Fawkes flew to his shoulder and sang softly. Even the phoenix loved the boy.

"I'm worried about him, Fawkes..." muttered one of the most powerful wizard on earth. The phoenix nodded as if understanding everything.

"I think it is time I paid him a visit, Fawkes..."