Dumbledore frowned a little bit at the slight twist in Harry's statement, "What do you mean? Who has been saying that I have been keeping secrets?"
Harry shrugged a little bit, making sure to keep his tone calm, though his hand twitched slightly ready to bring his wand to bear should the conversation devolve. "Every person, alive or dead has secrets, Headmaster. Some secrets can be benign and harmless, while others can be malignant and dangerous. It's simply human nature to have them."
Dumbledore nodded a little bit, his expression turning contemplative for a few moments at Harry's words. "I will concede that point. But I think this is a rather large secret that Nicholas didn't tell me, and could very well be relevant to current events. That's what makes it important. He didn't share a relevant secret with me." Harry's eyes narrowed, all hints of a smile gone from his face. "I repeat my earlier question. Do you share all pertinent secrets with Nicholas?" Despite the question there was no mistaking the accusation in his tone.
Dumbledore frowned a little at the sudden animosity, and a guarded expression crossed his face. "I'm not sure what secrets you're referring to."
Harry met Dumbledore's eyes in a challenging stare. Harry knew that if the discussion was going to go sour that this would be the moment it would do so. His body was tense as he replied. "Oh, the fact that you brought the Stone to Hogwarts, a school filled with children, as a bait for a trap for a Dark Lord most people believe dead. Or, we could discuss the fact that you hid it behind a set of traps that I could have navigated as an attentive first year student?"
Dumbledore paled and his eyes fixed on Harry intently. "How did you know all of that, Mr. Flamel?"
Harry met Dumbledore's eyes for several long seconds and was surprised that the Headmaster made no attempt to read his mind. Covering his shock, Harry smiled in amusement once more, though there was nothing funny about tone. His hand twitched slightly at his side ready to flick a wand out and respond to the slightest hint of aggressiveness. "You practically announced its presence to the entire school. I know alot of things. So do Nicholas and Perenelle."
Dumbledore regarded Harry for several long seconds before slumping in his chair slightly. "Yes. I suppose they would. It was not one of my better ideas, I will confess. I do owe them quite the apology."
That statement, more than anything, threw Harry off his stride. There was no protest or attempted justification, no defense of his actions. Instead guilt visibly crossed his face. However, the problem was that Harry couldn't tell whether the emotion was genuine or feigned. Harry didn't say anything, merely tilted his head and observed the Headmaster.
Dumbledore seemed lost in his own thoughts for several long moments. "You must understand, Mr. Flamel. I was trying to do what I thought was best. But I am not perfect. I make bad decisions. I admit that that was one of them. Something that was pointed out to me several times, both before and after the fact."
For one moment Dumbledore looked incredibly old as he sagged in his chair before he seemed to straighten again. "I am curious about one more thing. How do the Flamels know that Voldemort is not dead?"
Harry narrowed his eyes, "Professor, Voldemort is one of the most evil Dark Lord's in history. Nicholas and Perenelle have both been around for quite some time and are not as easily lulled into a sense of safety as the sheep of the wizarding world. They know not to just assume someone like a Dark Lord is dead."
Dumbledore seemed slightly taken aback. Harry wasn't certain whether it was by the venom in his voice, or simply his opinion about not only Voldemort but of the wizarding world.
Dumbledore didn't comment on it, he schooled his features and merely nodded, "Perhaps I should approach Nicholas and apologize." Harry shrugged a little bit. "That is your prerogative sir. However, if there was nothing else, I believe I have class shortly." Harry stood up from his chair.
Dumbledore looked up, lost in his musing thoughts for a moment before nodding. "Of course." He waved Harry toward his door.
Harry turned and walked towards the door, his posture was stiff, and he was ready to move at the slightest hint that Dumbledore was standing or moving to use his wand. He reached the staircase and was stopped right at the top of the room.
"Oh, and Mr. Flamel?" Dumbledore's voice called out congenially.
Harry braced himself and turned around to regard Dumbledore cautiously. "I do have one final question." Dumbledore regarded him with intense eyes.
"Yes, Headmaster?" Harry replied.
"Are we likely to have any more… issues like the ones we had this morning in your house?" Dumbledore inquired lightly, but with an edge of warning in his voice.
Harry narrowed his own eyes slightly and then affected a bland expression, "I'm not sure I know, Professor. This is only my first day at this institution, after all. I don't know what is considered normal for a school day here… though I did get the impression the events of this morning were quite unusual."
A genuine scowl crossed Dumbledore's face briefly, "It is certainly not normal. I daresay that I wonder if I'm about to receive a large amount of complaints from parents. The students shouldn't have to worry about being trapped in their own dorms." His last comment was a slight remonstration
The expression on Harry's face didn't change, but his tone grew quite cold, "I agree completely, Headmaster. Students should be able to feel safe in their House, and in the school in general, for that matter. If people don't feel safe inside this school, that is a reflection upon the failures of its leadership."
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