Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with amusement, but he merely nodded sagely. "So you think an older couple, with some parenting experience?"
"That would of course be ideal, but we must be careful that they have done a good job in their past child rearing. And of course, the risk of grandchildren requiring attention would then be present. I am given to understand that grandchildren can be even more of a distraction than children. I am also concerned that an older couple might not have the energy to keep up with a small child, let alone understand the current concerns of adolescents."
"Hmmmmm. I do see what you mean."
"Perhaps the most important aspect тАУ beyond the willingness to devote their efforts to Potter's behalf тАУ is an understanding of what the boy has been through. It can be difficult for those with no personal experience of abuse to understand the behavior of survivors. That said, they must not pity the boy or excuse current misbehavior out of a misplaced desire to make up for the excessive discipline of the past. They will require great strength of character to stand up to Potter when he makes the sad puppy dog expressions that those manipulative little creatures employ."
Dumbledore seemed to be fighting back a smile as he politely inquired, "Has Harry tried such tactics with you, Severus?"
"Hardly, Headmaster," Snape retorted. "In fact, you have just proven my point about the need for Potter's guardians to be familiar with abusive situations. Har тАУ Potter has been trained, no doubt brutally, to accept any sort of treatment, no matter how vicious, as his due. In his current condition, he is incapable of trying to weasel out of a justly deserved punishment or even an unfair one, for that matter." He couldn't help but remember how instantly accepting Harry had been when he thought Snape planned to cane him for poor handwriting. He shivered; that was a little too close to some of his own memories of brutal childhood punishments. For some reason, such thoughts had been uncomfortably close to the surface of late.
"However," he resumed, pushing away such uncomfortable reminiscences, "with appropriate treatment, as well as the Weasley spawn's inevitable encouragement and guidance, it is to be hoped that Potter will eventually reach the point where he will attempt such emotional blackmail. His guardians will have to have sufficient strength of character to treat such blatant manipulation with the scorn it deserves and to enforce previously stated consequences."
"I hope you are not suggesting Harry deserves a martinet. Surely compassion and caring should be the order of the day тАУ"
"Headmaster, providing lemon drops and snuggles in the face of misbehavior will hardly give rise to a healthy adult," Snape said impatiently. "Potter must learn what it means to be held accountable for his actions in an appropriate way тАУ not beaten bloody for something his cousin did, but neither excused from all rules because of his own special status.
"And while I know your position on corporal punishment, let me state that if potential guardians wish to use appropriate physical chastisement on the boy, that is hardly grounds for their exclusion. Harry тАУ I mean, Potter тАУ has been ferociously thrashed for alleged misbehavior for so many years that he may not even recognize anything but a swat as an attempted correction. What is more, he needs to learn to distinguish appropriate treatment from inappropriate, and a blanket ban on any and all violence against his person is unlikely to be helpful in the long term. If nothing else, he needs to get out of the habit of curling into a ball to protect his vital organs at the first sign of conflict or тАУ worse тАУ obediently holding still for anyone who wishes to injure him."
"You are suggesting that being struck will teach him not to hold still?" Dumbledore blinked.
"I am suggesting that abused children have often been trained out of resisting punishment. It would be better for Harry to learn to complain, argue, protest, flee, squirm, and howl. I suspect any of the Weasleys will be well able to teach him," Snape added drily. "Once Potter learns that he does not have to hold still for anyone who wishes to beat him, and then realizes that not every smack will break bones, he will prove a much more adept student in the defense against the dark arts. Regardless of You Know Who's current whereabouts and likely return, Potter needs to learn to protect himself, and he is currently terrified to the point of catatonia by any hint of physical punishment. He merely stands there, Albus! I am not trying to excuse my own behavior, but he didn't even try to dodge the blow."
Snape visibly reined in his emotions. Clearing his throat, he continued much more quietly. "This is why the child requires a guardian who will be utterly committed to him. Someone must help the child - er, brat тАУ regain his sense of self-worth. Without it, he will be easy prey for You Know Who, one way or another," he added darkly.
"You do not have to remind me how seductive Voldemort can be for the wounded and unloved, Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "I have failed many people in my long life, but perhaps none so badly as you and Harry."
"Please, Albus, no more self-condemnatory angst," Snape snapped. "We are talking about the Potter brat, not me."
"Mm." Dumbledore pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"Now then, as I was saying, the ideal guardian will not only require a strong character to withstand the blandishments Potter will one day seek to use, but also strength of mind. After all, in his day the brat's father was able to talk virtually the whole of Hogwarts' faculty into believing anything he said. He rescued himself and his little band of terrorists from their just desserts many times over. It is reasonable to assume that, once he is no longer beaten into a submissive state, this latest generation of Potter will prove just as facile with a credible explanation as his father, though I do hope that he never is in the position of arguing on behalf of a would-be murderer.' Snape glared at the older man. "You will recall that the elder Potter's glibness proved equal even to that task тАУ a feat I still am unable to comprehend."
The Headmaster sighed again and reached for a lemon drop. "As I have told you many times before, Severus, it was not James' pleading that caused me to show such leniency to Sirius after his actions against you. If you wish to blame someone for that decision, then the entire responsibility lies with me. I made the decision not to expel Sirius out of a desire to save the only other innocent person in the affair besides yourself: Remus."
Snape snorted in contempt and the Headmaster gave him a sad look. "I know you disagree, my dear boy, but Remus was innocent. To this day, I believe that Sirius never intended to kill you. I am confident that his usual irresponsibility and lack of forethought convinced him that you would merely be frightened witless by Remus' werewolf form, thus preventing you from bothering them any longer and giving him the ability to taunt you about your fear. I am, however, equally confident that without James' intervention, you would have been killed, and even you must admit that Remus Lupin would never have desired that."
"Perhaps not my death," Severus admitted sullenly. "But it's not as if Lupin were much better than the other three either."
"As you say," Dumbledore agreed. "But when James did intervene and save you, then I had to determine whether expelling Sirius was worth Remus' life. For while I know you feel that my refusal to expel him indicated a lack of regard for you, the fact is that had I expelled Sirius, Remus would likely have been killed. If it had merely been a question of whether Sirius deserved to be expelled for putting your life at risk, I would have removed him from school by that evening. But I was well aware that, had I expelled the Black family heir, his parents would have demanded a full explanation. They may have been estranged from their son тАУ though they had not yet disowned him тАУ but they certainly would not have accepted the disgrace of his expulsion without a fight. And that would mean that Remus' situation would have come to light. The Blacks would undoubtedly have demanded not merely his removal from Hogwarts but his prosecution for attempted murder тАУ we both know that the fact that doing so would have devastated Sirius would have been merely another reason for them to have done it. Given the Ministry's view of werewolves, the Black family's influence at the time, and fears about Voldemort's rising power, it was extremely likely that Remus would have been tried and executed, and that тАУ especially because you had not been seriously harmed тАУ was what I was unwilling to permit.