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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 170: Expelled
James leaned back in his chair. "I believe you said something about expelling me."
"You don't seem very concerned about it," Dumbledore pointed out.
He really wasn't. His necessity for the school facilities was promptly coming to an end.
James could easily find some place else to finish his projects, now that he had gotten this far.
The main reason for him to stay here was that there were several people important to him in this school. And it would greatly sadden his parents if he were to be expelled from here.
They had been extremely tolerant and understanding so far, despite how much he had changed since waking up in the hospital. But he didn't think they would take it well if he had to find another school to finish his education.
"Don't get me wrong, Headmaster. I do not wish to be expelled," James responded.
"Will you continue with these dangerous experiments on school premises?" Dumbledore asked.
"I can assure you that my experiments posed no danger for the rest of the students," James said.
"There is no way for me to verify that without seeing where and what kind of projects you are working on… will you tell me?"
"No," James simply answered.
"I presumed as much…" Dumbledore didn't seem offended by his cutting response. "But the reality is that even if they truly don't pose any danger to the other students, they are obviously a danger to you. And believe it or not, your safety is also my responsibility. Do you now understand the difficult position that you are placing me in?"
"I do understand it."
He had nothing to say in his defense, since he did not wish to reveal any secrets to this man about what he was trying to accomplish here.
It wasn't because he didn't trust Dumbledore, but because he knew the man all too well. If he were to learn the truth about himself and what he could do… he would try to take control of the situation and guide him in the 'right' direction, just like how he did in his past life.
Dumbledore's intentions were always good. However, the old wizard was very manipulative and somewhat arrogant, believing that his way of doing things was the only correct one.
"I suppose that promising you that it won't happen again won't be enough," James said.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. As I already gave you that choice and you failed at keeping your word."
"I see."
It looks like he will have to finish his education somewhere else after all.
'I wonder if my parents will be okay with me being homeschooled. That would make things easier for sure,' James thought.
"I'm very sorry, Mister Potter, but I have no other choice."
Dumbledore looked genuinely upset about doing this at least.
James nodded.
"However, since there are only two more months of school, I will allow you to finish this year, for as long as we don't have any more incidents, of course. However, from next year on, you will need to attend a different school… I can give you some recommendations if you wish to."
"That's very generous," James said. "Will you be informing my parents right now?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I see no need for that. Behave yourself a bit and you can end the year in peace. Although once the summer starts, your parents will have to be informed of this."
"Appreciate it," James said. "If there is nothing else…"
Dumbledore seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he had something to add. "No, that would be all. Just remember to avoid any more dangerous experiments for the remainder of the year. I will be keeping an eye on you, Mister Potter."
"I understand." James stood up. "Have a good day, Headmaster."
He turned around to leave.
"Mister Potter." The Headmaster called once more.
James was already at the door and turned around.
"To be honest, I expected you to fight this decision a bit more than that," Dumbledore commented.
"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster."
James was now sure that the old wizard had been waiting for him to reveal more than what he did. But he was not intending to do that, as it would make his life more difficult.
"Your motives for the expulsion are reasonable, so I have no right to complain."
Dumbledore nodded. "Goodbye, Mister Potter."
After James left and the door at the bottom of the stairs closed shut again, Dumbledore sat back down on his chair and let out a loud sigh.
"Did I do the right thing?" He turned to Fawkes for advice, but all the phoenix could do was produce a loud cry.
He opened one of his secure drawers by tapping it with his wand and took out a small leather notebook.
Passing a few pages, he found the one where he had been taking annotations about James... all the things he had found about him, as well as his own theories.
"The boy is definitely an alchemist, I have no doubt about that."
The alchemic flame he used during the previous incident had left recognizable traces.
The problem was that he still had too many questions about James Potter.
One cannot become an alchemist from one day to another. It was something that took many years of study and dedication. Talent alone could take you only so far.
Having no idea of how James had acquired all this knowledge at his young age was something that had him very nervous, but since the boy hasn't shown any bad intentions so far, he had left it alone for a while.
However, now that his experiments are obviously escalating in danger, Dumbledore could no longer stay still and was forced to take action.
"Magic can accomplish many wonderful things, but this… who are you really?..."
His blue eyes scanned more of the pages of the notebook.
Near the end, he had notes about another student of his...one whom he saw very recently, when the boy came back from his travels and requested a position as a professor.
Dumbledore had rejected him because he felt there was something wrong with him.
There were some similarities in the notes he had taken about these two students.
They were both too advanced for their ages, and they both liked to keep secrets… showing a clear distrust toward figures of authority.
Although he didn't see the same darkness in James Potter as he did in this other student.
"Tom Riddle…" He read the name at the top of the page and wondered what he was doing now, after refusing to hire him.
"Where are you now?"
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