the fact that Dumbledore took the cloak from James, then later gave it to Harry in his first year, so... through all that time it was with him, and... do you think Dumbledore ever mentioned it to Severus? or did he only find out about it at the end of PoA?
because it was kind of a pretty significant thing for him, since, well, 100% during his time at school there must have been a million moments when he thought that... he felt some kind of presence somewhere but just couldn’t see anyone. when the Marauders knew things they shouldn’t have known. possibly when he was hexed from some random spot and had no idea where it came from or who did it.... well, he probably guessed Who, he just didn’t understand how or where from.
i think if this knowledge had come out at the end of PoA, it would have been very, very stressful for him.
Well, honestly, I think he had absolutely no idea, because if he had known, he would’ve caught on to Harry using the Cloak way earlier in Philosopher’s Stone. I don’t think he knew. I don’t think he had a fucking clue. Dumbledore didn’t tell him.
And maybe he didn’t tell him because he didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire, thinking that if he explained it, Severus would resent the kid even more. Like: “Oh, right, so this was the reason? And on top of being cowards who were incapable of attacking me one by one, who had to gang up on me when I was alone because they knew they couldn’t take me otherwise, they were hiding too?”
I mean, honestly, I find it incredible that J.K. Rowling genuinely tries to convince us that those four were Gryffindors because people who are incapable of doing their shitty things alone and need to hide under a magical object that makes them invisible so they can attack people and play pranks… I mean, to me they’re the absolute peak of having no balls. I swear someone should’ve smacked each of them round the head and said: “You’re all idiots. And your balls never dropped as babies, apparently.”
But anyway, I don’t think he told him. I think maybe consciously he didn’t tell him for the reasons I mentioned at the start, not wanting to stir things up further or reopen wounds. But I also don’t think he gave much of a shit in another sense. And I’m not saying that to defend Dumbledore. I think because he never really saw that bullying as serious, never truly considered it bullying at all, he probably just saw it as kids being kids, and his golden boys couldn’t possibly be actual abusers.
Because in the end we have to understand that admitting his precious boys were bullies would’ve meant admitting that he himself had been negligent, that he had been prejudiced, and that he’d failed not only Severus but a whole group of children he’d essentially abandoned and left to fend for themselves, thinking: whatever happens to them happens, I’m not dealing with it. If they have problems, I’ll wash my hands of it. He would’ve had to admit that to himself.
And Dumbledore is someone with a huge ego. His whole self-image is built around the idea of having sacrificed what he wanted most for the greater good, right? He suppresses and represses everything he feels in favour of what’s supposedly right. So I think his entire image of himself is built around that idea: I did this, therefore this ideal stands above me. So admitting that he’s still prejudiced, still negligent, and that he contributed to the abuse, marginalisation and radicalisation of a lot of children would crack that spotless image he has of himself. So he would never do it.
But genuinely, I don’t think he did tell him. Consciously, because of the reasons I mentioned at the beginning, not wanting to make things worse. And unconsciously, because underneath it all, telling him would mean admitting a mistake, admitting a mistake would mean admitting he’s a piece of shit, and admitting that would mean accepting that all the things he believes he sacrificed and abandoned for some greater purpose didn’t magically make him a better person, because he’d still have a lot to unpack and confront within himself.
And an ego like his —especially in a man, and especially in an older man— can’t handle that, because that’s just how men are.
